USS Constitution by xken - Model Shipways - Scale 1:76.8

[xken]

The display case is under construction, and coming along nicely. Here are a couple of in progress up dates. The drawer will hold the book and a CD of the build

 

 

 

Just a few minor tweaks and then the stain will be applied.

 

[Burroak]

Ken where do I look to order your book?

[kurtvd19]

Come to the Conference in October and he will sell it to you there and autograph it.

Kurt

[xken]

Thanks for the plug Kurt and yes I will bring some and sign them for those who wish to purchase one. If not order through Amazon.

[Burroak]

Ken I ordered your book thru Amazon yesterday. I look forward to reading it. Thanks

[billt]

Fantastic job on the ship! It looks really great!

[kmart]

xKen,  You wrote a book?? I missed that.  Whats the title so I can look it up on Amazon??

[xken]

The title is “Model Building with Brass” buy the second edition. If you come to the NRG conference I will be selling and signing them there.

[MEDDO]

45 minutes ago, xken said:

The title is “Model Building with Brass” buy the second edition. If you come to the NRG conference I will be selling and signing them there.

Very nice! See you there! Will you be taking cards/cash/checks?

[xken]

Michael, Check or cash not setup for cards. See you there.

[xken]

Final update the ship is in the case and the boys enjoy looking at it. Fingerprints on the glass are indications of wanting to touch. It has just taken awhile for the pictures to come given very busy work schedules. Enjoy!

 

[usedtosail]

Ken, she looks great in that case. You family looks good too.

[helmarsowick]

Ken,

Beautiful build. I'd like to follow your build as closely as possible. Would it be possible to get a copy of your build CD. I'd be happy to pay for any costs. Anyway, excellent craftsmanship.

Helmar Sowick

[helmarsowick]

I have a general topic question. I've noticed that almost all planking on Constitution models and others of that era are left unfaired or little sanding. I've been to the ship and it's pretty fair considering the the method of construction. I know things vary in the modeling world but would it be better if the model matched the ship?  Are builders doing this intentional or not? By the way, your build is excellent. Some day when I'm in Morro Bay, maybe I could stop by to see your work?

[Auger]

😁

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 1/30/2016 at 5:13 PM, xken said:

The stern needed some real carving and twisting to butt properly to the counter planks. While wet I first cut away the back side of the plank from just before the last bulkhead to the tip and thinned it down to 1/32". I then cut a taper from the thinned point to about 1/16" all this while still wet. I then carefully added it and pinned it in place at the bulkheads and very carefully bent and twisted it into place and then trimmed the end to match the counter. Once satisfied with the fit it was glued in place.

 

I know this question comes M A N Y  years after your post on January 30, 2016, but I have to ask..

How did you form the gallery bottom?  

 

I've been back and forth between pages 4 and 6 of your build log multiple times.   Until the photo of the planked gallery bottom here on page 5,  there's no mention of the method you used. 

 

I'm at the point in my build where I'm either going to plank down to the keel, and deal with the gallery bottom later, or do the gallery bottom first.  The method in the Hunt Practicum is not my first choice, in that I've tried to model that piece at least three times and failed miserably.  I'm thinking of tackling it in layers roughly the thickness of the planking you used to cover it.  Another thought is to cover the area with masking tape, to protect the planking around it, and use wood putty to form the bottom.  After the shape is satisfactory and cured, I'd remove the masking tape and glue the bottom in place.  (I'm leaning towards the layered method because I might actually kill two birds with one stone.  It should look planked when done (if done well)).

 

Any advice you could provide here would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,

Peter (aka Der Alte Rentner)

 

[JSGerson]

Peter, you also need to look at post 199. Ken had to rip out the quarter gallery due to it being mis positioned.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

51 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

Peter, you also need to look at post 199. Ken had to rip out the quarter gallery due to it being mis positioned.

 

Jon

 

When I was saving the photo above, I noticed there WERE other XKen pictures in my files that did in fact show him constructing the lower galleries. 

 

It's maddening!  Where did I get these pictures from?   My naming convention identifies these as coming from XKen. Where are these hiding?  

 

No sense looking again, this appears to be the Hunt approach, over which the builder planks.  I will revisit post 199  and see what I may glean from that.  

 

 

 

Any thoughts from you on a better way to approach the lower gallery?  The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of using 1/16" thick stock to build the gallery bottom one layer at a time.  Each layer should be easier to shape than carving a blob of basswood.  Either way, I realize now that, If I don't paint, I'll have to plank anyway.  

 

Thanks Jon

Edited January 12 by Der Alte Rentner
made corrections and added text.

[JSGerson]

The photos came from post 83. I basically followed the practicum for the basic skeleton of the quarter galleries, then added my own touches. Basically everything went smoothly until I attempted the windows as you will see when you read my log. 

 

Jon