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

[JSGerson]

 

 

Once masts were tapered and tops cut square I added the chafing fish to each. The strip edges were angled for a tight fit to each other rather than the plans suggestion of just adding filler which could have lead to flat spots once the filler was sanded

More questions if you don't mind. I assume the "chafing fish" is the shell like covering over the mast. As it appears to me, it looks like a smooth thick veneer surface covering half the circumference in the lower potions and completely around the mast in the upper. You chose to build this up from strips of long tapered wood going around the mast almost like a long thin wooden barrel.

• How did you achieve that and squeeze it to such a tight fit?
• I have no idea what the plans mean when you stated "just add filler." What did that mean -  lather on wood filler and carve it?

As a novice, I might have wrapped a thin card-like or polystyrene sheet material around the mast to achieve the effect. Obviously yours, being well executed, is a far superior method.

 

Jonathan

[xken]

Jonathan, let's see if I can explain this with understanding. I used 1/16" x 3/32" basswood strips starting with the two center long strips cut to length. One was glued down the centerline of the mast. The second, the mating edge was first marked on the upper edge with the side of a pencil for a reference mark to cut and sand to; then carefully with an Xacto knife the edge was cut at an angle to match the edge of the strip glued in place on the center line. Once cut I carefully sanded the edge using a T-sander with 150 grit paper to match the pencil line. Carpenter glue was then generously applied to the edge in place and the cut edge added to it squeezing out the excess glue and cleaning it off and working it in place until tacked off. This process was then used on the shorter strips being alternately  added to each  side. This results in 90 degree to mast outboard surfaces. I clean the inside corner edges of glue with a wet q-tip for a clean joint. Remove as much excess surface glue as you can using wet towels or q-tips.

 

The assembly was allowed to set overnight and then sanded at diagonals to the length of the mast to develop a smooth curved surface with tight joints. 

 

The instructions indicated to glue strips side by side that would have resulted in V gaps between the corner edges that would have to be filled with filler.

 

Here is a picture with exaggerated red lines showing the angled surfaces being cut and sanded. Note the opposite is done on the other side.

 

 

 

I hope this helps.

[mtaylor]

I'm playing catch up Ken..  What a great looking build you have going here and I'm liking the mini-tutorials on doing certain tasks.   

 

Question, did you ever find your stars?    If not, check with a military surplus store.  I'm not sure if the medal stars are big enough but some of the "generals" stars might be small enough.  I remember seeing some in different sizes when I was looking for stars.

[xken]

Mark,

 Thanks for the compliment! I posted on page12 posted a link to military stars for medals a couple may work; but I have been busy with other things. I can always add the stars down the road if I cannot find another option.

 

Sometimes I wonder if I am doing too many of the tutorials; but being new to ship building with no"sacred cows" my stumbling's may benefit others like myself learning the ropes.

[kurtvd19]

Ken:

Your posts are always appreciated and educational.  I have learned a few things reading your build log -and learned a lot of stuff from your book.  One has to remember that there are always people who need to know some of the things than so many assume everybody knows because they learned the skill so long ago.  There are always new modelers coming along who will benefit from tutorials of all sorts.  You are providing information for all skill levels - I know for a fact that some very experienced guys do their chafing fish and mast cheeks just like the instructions show, relying on wood filler rather than fitting the faces of the strips together tightly.

 

As I have said before, you  have a skill for explaining  the processes of building and are a great teacher.  That's one of the reasons I asked you to be a speaker at the San Diego NRG Conference in October.  Anybody wanting to learn first hand from Ken about working with brass come to San Diego.  If you have Ken's book bring it with and I am sure he will autograph it for you (mine will make the trip) and I am sure he will bring some to sell there.  This paragraph is a blatant plug for Ken, his book and the NRG Conference.

 

Take care,

Kurt

[mtaylor]

Ken,

 

One can't have too many tutorials or detailed procedures with a screw up or two...  The tutorials teach and we builders learn from our screwups which all tell others not to do it that way. 

 

Seeing Kurt's shameless plug ( ) reminds me.. I really need to order your book. My metal skills stink.

[J T Lombard]

Ken

 

Don't quit the tutorials they are extremely educational.

 

keep up the good work

 

regards

 

J

[JSGerson]

Many thanks for your patience  to stop and explain things to the likes of me 8-)

 

Jonathan

[xken]

Jonathan, my pleasure; knowledge not shared is a waste in my opinion. Mark and J thanks for your encouragement! Kurt again thanks for the opportunity at the NRG Conference in October and yes I will gladly sign any of my books that are brought to or purchased at the conference. Thanks for the book plug! For the benefit of others the book is a primer on working with brass as a substitute material in model building. Many of the example techniques are not directly focused at ship building, but the basic concepts can easily be transferred as needed.

 

Here are updates on the spar deck mast  hole plates.

 

 

 

 

 

The adding of the brass mast rings is a slow process since the masts are tapered each ring must be individually cut and fitted. Back to adding rings.

 

Thanks again for all your kind words and ongoing encouragement.

[xken]

The mast rings were a slow tedious process but well worth the effort. The round and half round rings were much easier than the square ones. The round ones were glued in place but the squares needed soldering at the ends to complete them. The challenge really was that each one had to be sized and fitted in each position due to the taper of the masts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One thing I did in painting was to thin the primer and paint with 91% alcohol which made the flow much better and retained crisp detail including the joint lines in the chaffing fish. However, next time I may try using the wood conditioner first before priming to reduce the raising of the wood grain.  

 

 

Next I made the rope saddles that are located on the mast caps and added the eyebolts to the caps.

 

 

 

The thread order should be delivered sometime today via UPS, in the meantime I will sort out what to do next now that the masts are set.

 

 

[thomaslambo]

Hi Ken,

 

I found your build as a result of researching copper plating....your plating is superb along with the rest of your work 

 

Excellent build logs like yours is what new builders like myself (and anyone else for that matter) needs...the in-depth tutorials along with supporting pictures clearly explain how you accomplish the superb work.  This is why I came to MSW and will continue to learn from logs like yours.

 

Thanks much and keep up the great work     

[JSGerson]

Love the tutorials!!!!

 

Jonathan

[mtaylor]

Ken,

I just want to say thanks for your posting on how you did your rudder.  It answered a few questions (ok... many) in my mind about how to go about this.   

[xken]

Thank you all again for your kind words of encouragement! While waiting for the thread order I decided to move onto the planksheers. In looking at the plans and the pictures I realized a difference with the "waterway" part that does not appear on the restored ship. I also checked dimensions from the deck beams to the gunports and no room for 3/32" waterway assuming 5 planks on the side wall. There will be no waterway. Here is the sequence of making the planksheer parts. I made them as separate parts rather than in place for ease of working on and the forward curved parts were cut from two sheets of stock glued together cross grained to each other for strength when carving.

 

Once final fitted they were first treated with wood conditioner, sanded and primed. Then painted with  the kit green paint thinned with 91% alcohol. However, due to the white primer four coats of green were required to get the rich deep green.

 

In the middle of the above the thread order showed up and between painting parts and waiting for them to dry I set up the ropewalk and had some fun making rope for the in-haul tackle for the gundeck cannons. Chuck, the rope hardening worked, thanks again for the tip! I used the #50 which resulted in .013" diameter rope I needed. Now I will have to make enough for rope coils before adding the spar decking.

 

 

Now to make more rope and rig the rest of the cannons.

 

[xken]

I finished up the planksheer and one tip I would suggest for others is to add filler blocks for pinning surfaces when working on forward curve.

 

This shows them installed.

 

I am also still working on the in haul tackle for the gun deck cannons going back and forth while waiting for paint to dry and making rope. Here are a couple of images of the tackle process using the rope made on the rope walk.

 

I also sanded and painted the ceiling planks. Being new to painting with acyrillic paints I think I finally broke the code for a smooth finish as good as spray painting. First the planks were soaked with Wood Conditioner applied with a Q-tip and once dried completely sanded with 220 grit. Then painted with 91% isopropyl alcohol thinned kit supplied paint. No white primer! Top and sides of strips were painted allowed to completely dry and again sanded with 220 grit. Three coats of paint were applied to get the deep rich paint color. I will add the cut parts and paint the cut ends before gluing in place. 

NOTE: The alcohol evaporates quickly from the paint so more alcohol will need to be added. I check the viscosity before painting each coat. I was amazed how good the finish is on the planks.

 

I am always thinking ahead especially while painting and in checking to pre-finish the spar deck planking I checked the stern by using tracing paper and discovered that the plans are not symmetrical left to right and have a 1/8" difference at the stern. Now what more surprises/fixes lie ahead since measurements were based off of centerline on the plan view. Moving forward I will center on the centerline of the masts and forget the plans.

 

Now back to finish installing the gun tackle and then move on to the ceiling planks.

 

[usedtosail]

I have also been discovering the plans leave a lot to be desired.

[xken]

I moved on while waiting for the planksheer and ceiling planking to set and dry. Here is a sequence of how I make the rope coils that will lay on the deck by the in haul tackle. I am using my .013" rope that I made. The key is to file the end of a set of spring loaded tweezers for the twisting operation in a puddle of 50/50 glue/water mixture. The free end is positioned on the lid edge to dry in an up position for indexing into the tackle.

 

 

 

 

 

Next I made the bowsprit rope leads which required drilling 8 .020" holes  across a 1/2" wide strip. The challenge this small is splitting the wood hole to hole; so I harden the strip with CA allowing the CA to wick up the end grain and once set then drill. The holes are drawn on a strip over sized and will then be cut down to needed size. This works for many hole drilling operations with a series of adjacent holes.

 

 

I then added the ceiling planks down both sides starting at the planksheer and working up cutting planks to size around gunports and other openings.

 

Here is a bow view showing the planks as well as the rope leads, bow pin rail. I am finding that pre painting parts and then adding them keeps the finish clean and crisp. I pondered about adding the bolt heads and looking around at other builds I thought that they came off too large in scale. Here is a link to what I would use if funds were not an issue being retired. I have used these on car and plane builds on commissions I have done and Bob is great to work with and has a great selection of hardware:

 

http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-rivets-c-10

 

 

 

My son-in-law is back; he is a Captain of a Maresk container ship and is on a 72 day rotation and I will be helping him with a major house renovation/expansion doing things that we can do instead of the contractor, yesterday we removed stucco from the garage wall that will be bumped out and installed an attic drop down access ladder. The fun begins so ship building may slow down a bit.

[JSGerson]

There has been a lot of discussion in the past about rope coils. Now, I am the last person you would want to ask about them. I am not a sailor and, as I have mentioned in the past am working on my first real build. The following quote is something I kept as part of my personal library of model building knowledge. Unfortunately I neglected to record whom I got it from, but I present it here on it's own merits:

 

Sorry to "throw cold water" on such an interesting topic, but nice as those flat coils lying on the deck of a model look, did they really have them on full size ships? I mean what would happen when a heavy sea washed over the decks?

 

You make a good point. 'Decorative' as rope coils might look on the decks of a model, this wasn't normal ship practice. There was a good reason for this – it encouraged rot.

 

Everything was done on board ship to minimize wear and tear (which after all means money spent) and this included the running rigging. Wherever possible rope coils were hung from the belaying pin they were associated with, or perhaps from a cleat if a large rope, so that no part of it touched the deck. Apart from gravity, this also allowed air to circulate around it and so dry it. Ropes left lying on deck would probably never dry out, being repeatedly wetted by either salt or fresh water. If you consider a deck (with rope coils laid on it) which has just been rained on, or a sea has come over the side, the deck itself might gradually dry out, but you can bet that that part of it under the coils will still remain wet or damp – an ideal situation for rot to set in.

 

Apart from that a heavy sea coming aboard would also leave the coils in a hopeless tangle, so coils on deck are also a safety hazard. From experience, the only time you would normally see a large amount of rope on deck, is when the ship is either setting or furling sail, or engaged in some maneuver such as tacking or wearing. At these times, you have to be very careful where you put your feet, and you should never stand on a rope in this situation if you can avoid it – in case it moved without warning. The last order normally given after such an operation was to 'tidy up the spaghetti' – i.e., coil up, and hang the running rigging from its pin. I should mention that this practice is followed today, even though the rope concerned might perhaps be modern Polypropolene, which will probably also deteriorate eventually.

[xken]

Jonathan, I would concur with the above comments for both running and standing lines on their respective belaying pins. The coils I am showing are for the in haul tackle for the cannons that are hooked to the ring in the middle of the deck and the extra rope in a coil would lay next to the ring with really nothing to hang the rope on. I saw them like this somewhere else and will see if I can find the source again at some point. Perhaps others with more experience and knowledge can comment on this as well. I have also seen the cannons lashed to the ceiling wall which may have been the stowed position when not set up for battle; back to the point of saving space on deck.

[kurtvd19]

Ropes were not coiled on the deck as shown in Ken's photos when operational but they were coiled like they are shown when the ship was being inspected and everything was to look ship shape.  As most models are displayed on a set of stanchions, obviously not at sea, the coiled ropes would be appropriate.  However, were the model in a diorama, at sea, then they would have been picked up as you said.

Kurt

[xken]

Kurt, thanks for clearing that up and I am sure in battle action; neatness was not an issue and I am sure that some of these lines were not used at all and stowed.

[xken]

As I pondered my next step in addressing the head rail structure at the bow I quickly realized that careful installing and positioning of the cat heads was needed. First I sanded then drilled the holes for the sheaves at the end of the cathead. Once the slots were hand cut they were hardened with CA. and then cleaned again   I machined the sheave axle from 1/16" brass bar having a square head. The square nuts are made from 1/64" basswood,drilled and hardened with CA. Then the eyebolts were added and the cathead painted black and green prior to installation.

 

Following are some images of my efforts.

 

The critical part was the installation making sure that both matched each other form the bow stem and rails.

 

Next to sort out the head rail structure now that the cat heads are in place.

[xken]

I did some research of photos of the restored ship and what historical detail photos I could find and realized that the plans for whatever reason do not show that the trailboard and hawse pipes are on raised surfaces and the trailboard tapers in thickness from the hawse joint to the billet head. I then decided to build as the real ship is versus the plans which I am quickly losing faith in.

     One other side note for those on computers and have an I-pad I discovered that I cannot zoom in on photos with my PC; however, with the I-pad I can and based on the resolution of the photos details in some are quite sharp much to my surprise. My I-pad is now my best friend for detail research and is now residing on an adjacent desk.

 

Here is a sequence of how I have constructed the trailboard framing. These were much easier to do once I realized what had to be done based on photos rather than the plans. I used 1/4" and 3/16" thick sheet basswood with parts cut using the jeweler's saw on the bench pin and carving with a sharp Xacto blade. One word of caution is to pay attention to the layout of parts to follow the wood grain in thin sections for strength.

 

Also I sand and carve on the steel block, usually at the edges for finger clearance and to keep the blade parallel to the steel surface as reference when cutting the taper of the knees and filler block. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now to finish up both sides.  

 

[xken]

Built up both sides of the trailboard frames and then clamped them together and trimmed and sanded the perimeters to be identical port to starboard. This enables a consistent starting point for the rest of the rails to be built and is a benchmark for building. The trail boards press fit into place and are removable for painting later.

 

 

 

Next I started with the 3rd rail that supports the cathead and curves to the billethead. First I built up and cut the two supports directly under the cathead that seats in part against the hull. Moving forward all parts will be made identical but opposite.

 

 

Next I started with 1/8" square stock and tapered it down to 1/16" square that will be soaked in water and carefully hand formed to required curves using the trailboard frame for dimensional reference.

 

 

This shows the wet top rails formed and clamped in place while waiting for the tapered rails to soak. These were able to be dry formed with the slight curves using the plans for reference. I am using 1/8" square stock that will be trimmed from the underside. I now have the top rail surface for reference as well as the trailboard frames. I am bouncing between the plans and photos of the real frigate for details.

 

 

This shows the wet 3rd rails clamped in place and allowed to dry overnight to set to shape using tension between the clamped parts and the index into the rear of the billethead.

 

 

Once dry the parts were marked and cut to length against the support; the right image shows the rail marked with pencil for cut line to butt to support. The left shows the glued joint of the support and rail being held in place with a clamp for alignment until glue set.

 

 

Next I am trying to sort out the throne arrangements for the next rail so first I think I will fabricate the thrones and grating to help fiquire out the support brackets and beams. Having a hard time finding images of this bow area other than the one view in the instructions with no information. If anyone has images they can share it will be appreciated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Geoff Matson]

Ken

 

It is really great to see people tackle difficult building problems in so many different ways. Great job!

[JSGerson]

 

 

Having a hard time finding images of this bow area other than the one view in the instructions with no information. If anyone has images they can share it will be appreciated.

A view of the bow from the angle in your last image are exceedingly rare due to the fact that the public is not allowed to go there. I have been looking for those same images as you for the last couple of years in anticipation of my building the Connie as my next project. Here is what I have so far

[xken]

Jonathan,

Thanks!!!!  Those are great pictures and really clear up a couple of issues on the grating I have been trying to sort out as well as the seats being level. Thanks again.

[JSGerson]

I did some digging and found these plans from the US Navy:

 

4520302001 - Crew’s Head (located on 2001 CD not available anymore)

4648371b - Crews Head Area Modification Sheet (located on present CD for sale)

 

I had to reduce the size/resolution in order to post them. If you would like the full size, PM me with your email address and I will get them to you.

 

Jon

[xken]

Johnathan these prints are perfect! Thanks for your efforts for posting them. I can get everything I need from these. I am almost there with what I have done so far, but now the results will be even better.

Thanks again! 

[xken]

Just a quick update and thanks to Johnathan's help with plans I will have much better results than stumbling in the dark. These brackets are a challenge to develop with curves and angled surfaces. These are what I consider patterns that will be used to develop the final brackets for both sides. Building them required a great deal of patience with many trimmings and repositionings. I made the seats of comfort since they dictated the curve for the rail necessary for the the top of the bracket location.

 

I will now make the final brackets and start gluing in place for final trimming. both bracket surfaces and rail surfaces appear to be flush with white trim strips added to them.