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

[xken]

Moving down below the wale with the hull planking and going slow and carefully trying not to have any gaps to avoid any filler. I am also adding glue the full length of each plank on the mating edge. I have been wetting the ends involved with the bow and stern which are also tapered to fit the tick marks as required. I also made some clamps using spring clips and wood stock that work along the sides but I still need to use spacer blocks and T pins at the bow and stern.

 Here are a few in progress pictures of the hull planking with belt A complete and moving through belt B.

This shows the spring clamps in place down the side.

 

Here is a picture of the stern.

 

And the bow section.

 

Back to the hull planking.

[Landlubber Mike]

Looking really nice Ken, very nice job! I think you'll like the result you'll get from using stains over paints.

[xken]

Finally finished up the lower hull planking. I was not impressed with the quality of the planking strips with the variations in width, hardness and thickness then finally gave up trying to sort them for adjacent planks when adding them. Major sanding will be needed to smooth out, but I am sure others have also discovered this as well. Here is a series showing the planking and my goal was to strive for a result with no gaps suitable for staining. I also followed the individual planking length down to the copper covered area and then went to longer lengths for smooth blending. I am also glad that I finished up the top rails given the rough handling and moving the hull went through during the planking process. I carefully angled the top edges of the planks for a tight fit and applied carpenter's glue the entire length of the plank to assure a tight bond. There is no way to avoid this being a messy process; but a wet paper towel at the ready did help to wipe away the excess glue while pinning.

 

I quickly realized that I needed more than my glued up finger tips to position and adjust the planks as they were being positioned. I found a piece of Poplar lattice left over from a kitchen project (1/4" x 1-1/2") and cut at 45 degree angle with the tip edges being slightly rounded so as not to cause dents in the wet planks.

 

Here it is in use being applied to both planks so that the edges align as much as possible.

 

Here are the results.

 

This shows the stern area and how the planks set around the counter and tiller post.

 

The same tool was used at the bow and was a great help with the narrower tips into the rabbet.

 

Here is an overview of the finished planking ready for sanding and smoothing.

 

Now to start sanding which I will take care and some time to do prior to the coppering process.

[CaptainSteve]

That's a beautiful planking job you've done, Ken !!

[xken]

A question for anyone? I am using a water based black stain and I have checked the MinWax site and they recommend using a pre-stain conditioner. My question is...Does anyone have experience using this conditioner on hulls before staining and applying the copper treatment?

 

In taking breaks from sanding I am checking on how to apply the copper foil and most recommend a smooth as possible wood finish for best tape adhesion. Just wondering if anyone has advice before I start the staining process. In my previous test I clear coated after staining which would provide a sandable surface. 

 

Thank you all for your likes on this build so far!

[Canute]

Ken, I've used the pre-conditioner on pine and basswood. Stain within 2 hours, if I remember the instructions. The pre-conditioner seemed to help keep the stain even. Like everything, test on some scrap of the wood you're using.

[xken]

Ken,

Thanks for the feedback. Yes it seemed to spread more evenly on the test piece. However, the instructions say nothing about the 2 hour time frame. Just wipe off excess after letting set for up to 5 minutes. Then allow to dry 15 -30 minutes and sand with 220 grit before staining. Once complete apply a clear coat.

 

The challenge I see is applying conditioner and staining around all the gunports within the time frames. Will just have to work quickly. 

[Landlubber Mike]

Ken, I'm no expert, but I think like the other Ken said, the pre-stain conditioner helps to keep the stain even as well as keep the grain down.  On my Pegasus, I haven't found the need for the conditioner when using the General Finishes "Black" stain which goes on evenly on pear and other woods - in fact, it seems to come out the same across woods.  Definitely do some test pieces as I'm not sure how basswood handles stains.  

[usedtosail]

Ken, I use the pre-stain all the time with basswood. It does help even out the color. I have not used it under the copper tape though. For that I use an acrylic primer or thinned Gesso and I think it helps the copper plates stick better than to bare wood.

[xken]

Mike, thanks again and the basswood with it's various inconsistencies will benefit using the conditioner which is like painting with water. I did purchase the opaque stain which should really help.

 

Tom, thanks that is encouraging to hear that you have used it. You are correct, the smoother the finish the better the adhesion of the tape.

 

One of the things I am trying to sort out is the staining below the copper and I think it will be good to do especially if I clear coat and sand for a smoother finish. If I can get the hull to be like the small test everything should work fine. 

 

Thanks again for your help!

[xken]

Finally finished up the sanding to a 220 grit finish. I used the round sanding sticks, nail finger files and 60 grit, 150 sandpaper and 220 grit flexible pad. Just a slow careful process to get all surfaces to match with the different characteristics of the basswood.

This shows the variances within the wood stock supplied.

 

I applied the pre-stain conditioner as suggested and I is like painting water, however you can feel the difference once it is dry. 

 

This is the first time I have used a water based black stain and I broke down the process into sections to stain since the excess stain must be wipe off while wet. I used a 1" foam brush which worked perfectly.

 

The hull definitely needed to be stained twice, this shows the first coat.

 

Here are views of the stained hull.

 

I made a support based to be used while working while waiting for the stain to dry. Here are a couple of views of the stain dried and satin clear coating will be next.

 

While waiting for the clear coat to dry I tried a couple of tests of coppering using foil tape. My wife uses 3/16" in her work so I tried it out using the small ponce wheel on the perimeter and the larger wheel for the center area.

I think I will go with Test 3 using the 1/4" tape. Also after looking at the real ship photos I decided that only the lower edge and left end need to be marked since the next plate will overlap with it's marks. I also tested the center area using the larger wheel. The center area on the real ship has three rows.

 

Now back to working on the hull.

 

[GLakie]

That's a great looking planking job Ken! 

[Canute]

Very nice staining job on the basswood, Ken. And your coppering test looks good; I like number 3 also.

[Geoff Matson]

Ken, again I love following your thought processes. Looks like you will have an outstanding model. 

[xken]

Thank you for your compliments on the hull. I am extremely satisfied on how the staining process work out and that you can still see the wood details of the planking unlike paint which would just cover them up. I probably did not need to stain the entire hull because of the coppering; but I did it for the learning experience.

 

I moved on with the coppering using the Test 3 sample. The plates I calculated to be 1/4" x 7/8" to be in scale using the 1/4" as the key dimension. I may post a series on the technique I am using with the kit supplied foil tape. They are hard to photograph since they are so shiny and pickup the over head lights. Also you can see the hull detail with the Satin Clear spray overcoat on the stain.

For now I am off and running with the plating process and here are a couple of pictures of where I am at right now.

Here is a close up. I am using the smallest ponce wheel across the top and down the right side and then the medium size for the three center area rows. The overlapping plates negates the need for the small wheel on the bottom edge and left side. The cap plates for the keel and stern post will be done last. I am using a "brick" method rather than the "row" so I can mix and match the plates since I am adding them one at a time per original. 

 

Now back to plating which will become good therapy for the next few days.

[JSGerson]

Ken, I've been quietly watching your build log as I plan to build my own model as soon as I finish my present project, the Rattlesnake (in the next decade or so at the rate I build). I have never copper plated before as the Rattlesnake is my first real build and doesn't require it. I'm a little apprehensive when the time comes. I was curious as to what size ponce wheels you are using and where did you get them.

 

Looking at pictures of the plating process on the actual ship I noticed that, at least in the close-up photo below (which was taken in the rudder area), there are tight border rivets like you've duplicated and 5 rows of wider spaced rivets in the body of the plate. I think you were smart to choose 3 rows for the model because any more at that scale I believe might have ruined the effect.

 

Thanks for posting large sharp images which makes it very easy to understand and follow your progress.

 

Jonathan

[xken]

Jonathan, here is the set that I have from MicroMark which I purchased years ago when building WWI planes.

 

http://www.micromark.com/3-piece-pounce-wheel-set,6668.html

 

If you are not familiar with these folks get a catalog from them; they also have a wood yard as well. Just remember one can never have too many tools!

[JSGerson]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, they are the same ones I have. I always ask because one never knows if there is some new/wonderful source of tools/gizmos/gadgets/jigs that they haven't explored yet.

 

Jonathan

[Landlubber Mike]

Thank you for your compliments on the hull. I am extremely satisfied on how the staining process work out and that you can still see the wood details of the planking unlike paint which would just cover them up. I probably did not need to stain the entire hull because of the coppering; but I did it for the learning experience.

 

 

Very nice work Ken!  I'm glad the black stain worked out so well.  I'm a big convert on using stain over paint for the very reason you described above.  

 

Have you thought about what you are going to do with the white and green areas?  There are lots of green stains out there.  I just bought this product from Minwax to use on a ship-in-bottle build that I will try out in the very near future:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Minwax-30806-Express-Wiping-Emerald/dp/B004CFEBWM

 

 

White can be a little tricky.  To me, even if one uses a "dull white", it still looks a little too garish for my tastes.  It's almost like one needs to use more of an ivory color.  I saw one model using an ivory paint, but I forget which model and which paint was used    You can try bleaching wood, but it's unclear whether the bleach will have long term effects on the wood.  There are also pickling stains out there, most of which seem to lighten the wood and not necessarily give a more pure white appearance.  

 

One option that I've been very pleasantly surprised with is the "White Wash" stain from General Finishes.  Like the other GF stains, it goes on like a stain, but has the coverage like a paint.  It worked very well across different woods.  Interestingly, it also worked well on metal.  The lower portions of the masts on the Charles Morgan, both the mast itself and metal parts on the mast, are painted white.  That gave me a little dilemma on "painting with wood" because I wasn't sure how to replicate the metal materials unless I rebuilt them in wood.  Amazingly, the stain went on a piece of test brass like a paint.

 

Aside from that, there are woods like holly and maple that seem to work nicely.  I'm still undecided on what approach to take with my builds, but I have some time to experiment.  

[xken]

Mike,

Thanks for the link to the green stain I will have to look into getting some. I think the white may just have to be paint with a little thinning to reduce the build up.

 

Here is a sequence on making the individual plates. I believe in the KISS principle in building processes so you will see a simple but effective fixturing to get three plates at a time. I started using a 4" steel block for these reasons; it is movable, provides finger clearance from the work table, allows a hard surface for the wheels to work against resulting in consistent crisp rivet indentations; and allows firm grip of 6" rule as the guides for the wheels to run against.

 

 

One thing to keep in mind that the copper foil tape may have one crimped edge for the production process and this edge should be positioned along the bottom edge and will be covered by the over lapping plate.

 

This shows how the steel block is taped with both wide blue and regular 1/4" tapes. Make sure the top blue tape is aligned to the top edge of the block so a square can be used to mark the vertical reference lines. Then both the verticals and the top edge marks are added with the small wheel.

 

 

Then the square can be turned to add reference dots for the center area lines. Locate the center dot first and then the additional two spacing them evenly. I did all by eye.

 

Now align the edge of the 6" thin rule to the top dot and parallel to the row of small dots and using the larger wheel add the three rows aligning each to the previous row and to it's reference dot. Take care not to press the wheel too hard and move the tape out of position. Practice a couple to get the feel of both wheels. Also check the wheel head for wheel wobble side to side. If needed carefully tap the center pivot rivet with a small hammer and sneak up on the tightening, don't hit too hard or you can lock up the wheel. I had to do this with the large wheel.

 

This is what the tape should look like with all rows in place.

 

Now with sharp scissors and working under a desk light to highlight the dots cut the plates apart. Note keep the small dot top row up and cut just right of the small dot vertical line.

 

Here are the plates cut apart. Note save the longer left end for keel and bow work.

 

Here they are in place brick work style. I use the #11 Xacto blade to separate the tape backing from the foil with the foil face down with backing up along the edge of the steel block (this will require a little getting use to to do) I hold the foil flat on the tape with the blade and slowly remove the backing. The foil on the end of the blade can carefully be straightened out and I position the lower right corner on the existing plate on the hull and align the edges parallel with the ones above and press into position with my finger from right to left. If re-positioning is needed now is the time to do it; otherwise I firmly press the plate in place using the edge of my thumb nail or finger whichever works best based on location. Once in place repeat for all adding from stern to bow and down from the keel to waterline.

 

Now back to more plating. 

 

 

 

 

[JSGerson]

Thank you for the detailed "How To" lesson on hull plating. I will add this to my library of building techniques to use when I build my own Conny.

 

Jonathan

[xken]

Reached a stopping point to mark off the hull where the copper will end. Rigged up my trusty panavise with a pencil and set it to the copper edge at the stern which ends at the water line based on the plans.

The hull was set in the working cradle and leveled fore and aft and port to starboard and then marked the pencil line.

 

 

Once the line was completed I then removed the hull from the cradle; inverted it and applied 1/4" masking tape on the pencil line which was easy to see even though it was on the black hull.

 

 

Here is a view down the side showing the sweeping curve that developed applying the copper plates. This shows 14 rows of plates.

 

 

Now back to plating and will be checking photographs for how the plates terminate at the water line. 

[GLakie]

The copper sheathing looks great Ken!  You're building her like you've built her a half-dozen times before! 

[xken]

Before adding the rest of the hull plates I searched around to understand and verify the "Dressing Belt" per the plans. In looking at pictures of the real ship there was in fact three rows of plates for the dressing belt. They are full height at the bow and taper at the stern. Here is a sequence showing how I added the necessary tape lines. Also note the tape setback for the hull plates to be trimmed to and that the dressing belt will overlap.

 

First I used my panavise to mark the line which will only be good 2/3's down the hull and then they taper to the stern.

This shows the tape in place allowing for the overlap.

Here I am using a divider to position and adjust the tape line.

This shows the hull plates intersecting the dressing belt and being trimmed with a sharp blade for a clean cut.

This shows the finished hull plates. Next the top tape will be removed and the dressing belt added starting at the stern.

[Jack12477]

Looking very nice - also great tutorial - thanks for sharing it - Hull plates look really great.

[xken]

Jonathan, George, Jack thank you for your kind words. This is my first attempt at hull plating and I am posting the process I am using for the benefit of those new to ship building. In searching around I could not find a detailed process of doing it and even found incorrect applications not including the dressing belt.

Here are images showing the dressing belt and how the hull plates intersect the dressing belt.

 

 

 

Here are a couple of overall views with the second showing that the top row has the small rivets at both the top and bottom edges. In the picture of the stern area the small wheel was carefully used on the hull once the plates were cut to fit in place.

 

Now on to plating the port side, keep in mind these will have the left edge with the small rivets.

 

One question I do have is about the red lead paint applied on the dressing belt; it appears in photographs of the real ship to cover the three rows of the dressing belt and about half a plate dimension down into the hull plates. There is no mention of it in the instructions. I would appreciate any thought or comments others might have on this painted stripe.

[JSGerson]

 

 

 In the picture of the stern area the small wheel was carefully used on the hull once the plates were cut to fit in place.

I thought it was an optical illusion but your comment about using the ponce wheel directly on the hull seems to confirm it - your "rivets" are inverted. The models I've seen in other build logs seem to show raised rivets like those on the bulwarks. I like yours better. Looking at the actual ship, where the "rivets" are applied, the copper seems to be pulled in towards the hull creating a dimple, which is what one would expect Nice work!

 

Jonathan

[CaptainSteve]

 

One question I do have is about the red lead paint applied on the dressing belt; it appears in photographs of the real ship to cover the three rows of the dressing belt and about half a plate dimension down into the hull plates. There is no mention of it in the instructions. I would appreciate any thought or comments others might have on this painted stripe.

 

Ken. I think you will find that the decision whether or not to include the red-stripe basically comes down to dating your build to a specific time-frame.

 

It would appear that, at various stages of her illustrious career, there has been a white gun-port stripe, a yellow gun-port stripe, as well as the red dressing belt stripe. Most likely, other variations and combinations were used at different times and by different commanders. After all, she was a war-ship, and subterfuge is all a part of the Art of War.

 

See USS Constitution Yellow Hull Stripe here for the discussion on this matter.

 

Incidentally, that is a brilliant practicum on copper-plating and I am certain it will prove very, very useful to many Connie builders in the future.

Edited February 22, 2016 by CaptainSteve

[xken]

Last evening I ran out of copper foil  I went back and did some math to verify and it turns out not enough is supplied on one roll to do the job using the single plate process. Also I probably did have a little higher scrap rate separating the foil form the carrier on individual plates; but not 3.6 yards worth.

 

Just sent an email to Model Expo and will see how long it takes to get another roll.

 

Here is where I ended up with the one roll.

 

 

[JSGerson]

Be aware that the "new" copper you receive will probable not match the hue of the installed copper...at least initially. This is probable due to the difference in time it was exposed to the air. Hopefully over time, the two batches should even out.

 

Jonathan