USS Constitution by Modeler12 - FINISHED - Model Shipways

[Modeler12]

Harvey, indeed there are six seizings on the shrouds. I took a shortcut and only applied two.

My feeling is that the lines on our models are generally thicker than the real ones, at least at the present, (see your picture). To apply more than a couple seizings with yarn (that also is way too thick) makes the whole look too heavy and bulky.

 

Here is a little math. I took the picture below and on my computer screen measured the diameter of a deadeye. It was about 0.55 inches. A typical shroud measured 0.125 inches. Now if we assume that a real deadeye is actually about 8 inches, then the scaling results in the actual shroud being about 1.8 inches in diameter. Reasonable I think! 

When I divide the 1.8 inches by the scale of our model (76) I get a line thickness of 0.024 inches. The plans call for using 0.040 inches. A big difference, plus the oversized thread for the seizing, and you end up with a pretty heavy look.

Whipping is the process, seizings are the result, I think. It seems that both are used almost interchangeably. I know I have used the picture below a couple times; it came from Wikipedia.

BTW Although I have made and intend to fly an old US flag with 38 stars from the gaff, I am modeling the ship like it is today.

[popeye2sea]

The distinction between whipping and seizing is that whipping is applied to a single rope to prevent unlaying and seizing is joining two items together.

 

There are several styles of whipping, i.e: plain, palm and needle, sail makers and there are several types of seizings, i.e: cross (or throat), racked, flat and round.

Edited February 9, 2014 by popeye2sea

[capnharv2]

Jay,

 

Your comments got me to looking around (always a big mistake). . .

 

The website below:

 

http://www.maritime.org/conf/conf-otton-mat.htm

 

has a table of line sizes used in the 1992-95 restoration. It list the circumference of the main shrouds as 9", which works out to a little under 3" diameter, or .037/.038 dia on the model. Please check my math and numbers-I make simple mistakes all the time

 

Regarding the seizings used on the shrouds, the line I used for them was way too large. I'll try a smaller line (say 80) to see how that looks.

 

Henry, that's what I remember. I especially remember the frapping turns on the seizing. Just for grins, I added a couple frapping turns to my shroud seizings.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks,

 

Harvey

[Modeler12]

The distinction between whipping and seizing is that whipping is applied to a single rope to prevent unlaying and seizing is joining two items together.

 

There are several styles of whipping, i.e: plain, palm and needle, sail makers and there are several types of seizings, i.e: cross (or throat), racked, flat and round.

Thanks Henry, I stand corrected. I should have know better.

 

Harvey, nine inch circumference seems a lot, but if that is for the record, so be it. When I look at photographs I don't see the shrouds to be almost three inches in diameter. Yet on my model the .o40 inch thick shrouds don't seem unreasonably out of proportion.

So, my whole theory goes out the window.

PS There is nothing wrong with 'looking around'. I do it a lot.

[capnharv2]

Jay,

 

I agree that they look bulky-especially when the plans show them as thin lines. The best proof would be if somebody could take a tape measure to the shrouds themselves.

 

We do have "artisic license" to do what we think is right or looks right. I did that with the thin waterline stripe instead of the wide red stripe on the Constitution as she sits today. It's not accurate but I like it better.

 

Thanks,

 

Harvey

[Modeler12]

Just a couple more pictures. Mizzen and main.

 

  

[Modeler12]

And a couple more. These are for my friend down under who at one point thought I was either brave or crazy to put sails on this spider web of rigging.

 

 

 

Next comes the topsail for the main. It will be a slow process.

[WackoWolf]

Maybe slow, but it will pay off when your done. Nice work. Keep the pictures coming.

[usedtosail]

The sails look great.

[Modeler12]

Rigging the main and fore topsails should go a bit smoother, I hope, than the mizzen. I had a terrible time with all those lines coming together at the same place. Then I had trouble adding the parts for the mizzen jack below the sail.
 

So, now I will take a different approach and rig the main jack first. There are three lines that hold the jack up. They are the jeers (used to raise and lower the spar) and the sling to hold it up there once it is in place. There are two more that are already on the mast. They are port and starboard trusses (P/S) which pull the jack back against the mast.

[Modeler12]

Step two. Putting the main jack on the mast. This was not as difficult as it was with the mizzen.

The jack is rigged but not yet in its final position. The braces will take care of that.

The starboard main shrouds are still swaying in the breeze. Again that is until all those lines coming down from the topsail are belayed.

 

[Modeler12]

It has been a while and I need a refresher course about sail lines.

Here is the main topsail with all the running lines attached. They all have a port and starboard mate.

The leech and buntlines go through a small double block and that is why I show them together in one spot. You can see the small block on the right side. All of these lines, except the clewlines, go through a block that is attached to the topmast crosstree. I still have to install those. From there they go down to the deck in front of the sail.

The clewline goes through a block that is lashed to the spar (as shown) and goes down to the deck from there in the back of the sail. The bowlines go up forward to the foremast, and the sheets go down to a sheave in the main jack below.

 

Confused? I am glad I have the drawings handy.

[lambsbk]

Outstanding. You have raised the bar (at least for me). Very nice work. 

[capnharv2]

Jay,

 

It's scary, but I actually think I know what you're talking about

 

A really great job on the rigging. It looks great, and your explanations of why you've done things a certain way make a lot of sense. Thanks for your build log.

 

Harvey

[Modeler12]

Jay,

 

It's scary, but I actually think I know what you're talking about

 

A really great job on the rigging. It looks great, and your explanations of why you've done things a certain way make a lot of sense. Thanks for your build log.

 

Harvey

Thanks Harvey,

The further I get into this thing the more I think I may have gone a bit overboard with my unusual approach. For example, holding off with doing the lower shrouds now seems a bit drastic. My original thought was to hold of so I could get to the fife rails to belay the lines. Now I find that at least the ones around the masts are not all that difficult to reach. Those along the rail are touchy no matter what.

 

Yet, when I think about what might have happened if I had installed the netting on top of the rails . . . . disasters!!!!

The same applies to a lot of other details such as the lower cannons, port hole covers, etc.

I may later put a list together about what order I would (will) do my next build. On hind sight there are a lot of 'if I had done . . .'

[Modeler12]

The main topsail has landed!

 

This was a bit tricky since there are two halliards, one on each side. The first part is looped around the topmast, comes down to the double block on the spar, goes back up to a block on the crosstree and then finally down to the deck. A bit of juggling.

I did this to hold the whole works in place for now. Next comes taking care of all those 'extra lines'.

But now I need a glass of sauvignon blanc to cool my nerves.

[capnharv2]

It's interesting to take a different approach because we assume something won't work-and then does. I still think your approach of leaving the lower shrouds off until later makes sense. And yes, those rails by the bulwarks are a bear to get to, no matter what. One thing that I've found over the course of a few models is to make sure the pin rails and fif rails are well attached. I can't count the number of times I've put a little tension on a line going to a pin rail or fife rail and have the whole thing come off-with about 6-8 other lines I had already belayed .

 

But, we learn. And we share. And that's one of the things that makes this site so great-learning the "how to do its" from others, as well as the "how not to do it" from others.

 

Thanks,

 

Harvey

[Senior ole salt]

Fantastic build. I also admire your diligence in photographing your progress and sharing here.

 

Thanks 

 

S.os

[Modeler12]

One thing that I've found over the course of a few models is to make sure the pin rails and fif rails are well attached. I can't count the number of times I've put a little tension on a line going to a pin rail or fife rail and have the whole thing come off-with about 6-8 other lines I had already belayed .

Harvey

Amen to that one, Harvey. I had the same problem with one of the fife rails early in the game. I ended up drilling a hole in the bottom of the post (it came out completely) and the same in the deck. Some epoxy is now holding the thing in place. I wished I had done the same with all the others.

 

SOS, I find that taking pictures as I go along helps me to remember where I was before. Kidding in a way, but I do refer to some of them as I go along. The fact that they might be of interest to others is gravy to me.

Thanks and keep on sailing, my friend. I used to have a junior folkboat in the San Francisco Bay a few years ago and we have many stories to tell about that. Ask my wife.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Modeler12

[popeye2sea]

The sails are really looking great.  I especially like the second photo of the ship in front of the window.  The angle and the lighting on the sails shows them off to good effect.

[Blue Ensign]

Those shots look impressive Jay, nice progress.

 

B.E.

[Modeler12]

Thank you guys for your nice comments.

Here is one of those 'I should have done . . .'.

Just when I am ready to start threading the various lines for the topsail, I realized that I 'forgot' to add the blocks to the main jack for the sheets. There are a lot of blocks on the main jack, but I thought they were all for the course sail and not needed. Now I have to add them while the jack is in place.

 

What I will do in the future is to make a careful study of all the blocks and fitting needed for every spar and mast detail. I keep running into this the whole time since I started the rigging. It is always an eyebolt here and another block there. It is much easier to install those on the workbench and before you need them. I know we are all aware of this, but it gets me every time.

 

The plans for the Shipways kit are very good and mostly complete, but they do not have a complete listing of what I mentioned here. The fittings for the bowlines is one example. You have to hunt around to find how and where they are attached to the masts or bow sprit.

 

Re: the order of things: Foot ropes should be the last thing to go onto the spars, just before they are installed on the masts. Mine have been crumpled and been in the way when installing other fittings and furling sails.

Edited February 11, 2014 by Modeler12

[Modeler12]

There is still a lot of rigging to be done on the main topsail. I also have to make final adjustments to the sheets and bowlines. Notice the main jack is still hanging loose and not in its final position.
 I even may have to 'fill' the sails some more.

But I will wait with that until the fore topsail is in place. It's going smoother, that's for sure.

[Modeler12]

Here is one more picture showing the five out of the six sails she will carry.

Today was slow going. Needed to do some 'chores'.
 

But I am constantly finding more eyebolts and blocks I need to add. But then I also have some eyebolts on deck and on the masts that I don't know what they are for.

Better more than not enough???

 

BTW the neighbors across the street are really nice people but I am not promoting their house, even if it were for sale. Termites, you know?
I even found one in my sails. But that was another story here on this forum that turned not to my liking. Besides the SF Bay Area also has earthquakes, strange people and sky-high prices. Don't come to live here, please!

Sorry I added some windmills  in the picture above. There is one on either side. They happen to be of the same scale as my Connie. The small one to the right is similar to what my ancestors used to grind wheat in Holland.

 

[popeye2sea]

She's almost done and looks really sweet.

 

I also have found a bunch of extra items called for in my kit (blocks, eye bolts, and belaying points) with no corresponding lines running to them in the rigging plan.  The converse seems to be true also.  Some lines called for in the plan do not have a fair lead or a good belaying point.  I think that mine is a case of poor quality control and follow up with changes in the plan during the kit development.   (Sounds like an official excuse anyway  )

 

I'm going with the method of attaching all blocks to the spars and masts prior to installing and rigging, so I have been through the entire rigging plan several times to determine the sizes for each block and where it will fasten to.  

 

All part of the learning curve, I guess.

[Senior ole salt]

Jay that model sure looks great.

 

Have you ever visited Old Ironsides in Boston MA. ?

 

S.os

[HIPEXEC]

Nice work!

[S.Coleman]

Yor sails really look great! You seem to have your head around all those rigging lines good work.

[Modeler12]

Yor sails really look great! You seem to have your head around all those rigging lines good work.

Thanks, but what amazes me is that I finally know each of those lines I have attached, know what their names are and what they are used for. What I have to look up as I go along is where they are belayed on deck or the masts.

 

When I stand back and think of where I was six months ago, I scratch my head but realize that each of those thin threads have a function.

The only 'redundancy' are the preventer stays, which are there on war ships in case the main stay should be damaged in battle.

[popeye2sea]

It is amazing the amount of knowledge that we acquire in the building of these ships.  Naval architecture, naval engineering, rigging, coopering, ships chandlery, woodworking, sailmaking, rope making, armaments, etc. etc.

Edited February 14, 2014 by popeye2sea