USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040

[JSGerson]

Peter, that's a thought (now Plan D), but I would like to include the frames if I could.

 

It wasn't so much as to "keeping lines randomly scattered around the deck to show the ship in a state of action" but to show a working ship. There is a lot of stuff on the busy decks so they are not as neat and clean as many other models show. My ropes lines are loosely coiled because they are theoretically in use, not set up for formal inspection. Presently, I don't plan on adding sails (it's taking long enough as it is), so presumably this is what the ship would look like in dock for a while, in which case the canopy frames would be set up. But then again, they didn't exist during the ship's active fighting years. I'm working this out one step at a time.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to attach the multitude of arched brass rods together at the hub. I've been doing a lot of thought experiments as how to precisely hold in place 7 to 8 rods, plus a ringed ornament securely enough at the same time and with sufficient surface area to apply glue such that the assembly won't fall apart as soon as I try to move or install them into their positions on the stanchions.

 

Mustafa, at the rate that I am moving, I suspect you will be working on these very soon. It should be very interesting if you method solves my problems.

 

Jon

[Unegawahya]

On 2/7/2025 at 8:19 AM, JSGerson said:

Peter, that's a thought (now Plan D), but I would like to include the frames if I could.

 

It wasn't so much as to "keeping lines randomly scattered around the deck to show the ship in a state of action" but to show a working ship. There is a lot of stuff on the busy decks so they are not as neat and clean as many other models show. My ropes lines are loosely coiled because they are theoretically in use, not set up for formal inspection. Presently, I don't plan on adding sails (it's taking long enough as it is), so presumably this is what the ship would look like in dock for a while, in which case the canopy frames would be set up. But then again, they didn't exist during the ship's active fighting years. I'm working this out one step at a time.

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to attach the multitude of arched brass rods together at the hub. I've been doing a lot of thought experiments as how to precisely hold in place 7 to 8 rods, plus a ringed ornament securely enough at the same time and with sufficient surface area to apply glue such that the assembly won't fall apart as soon as I try to move or install them into their positions on the stanchions.

 

Mustafa, at the rate that I am moving, I suspect you will be working on these very soon. It should be very interesting if you method solves my problems.

 

Jon

When I did mine, I had only drilled 4 holes in my hubs. The string is there so when I eventually dropped the top down the common way I wouldn’t loose it. I would get the first opposing corners in first then each of the next two. The side frames were just glued to the side of the hub.

Looking at your build, I wish I would have done my canopy frames before the common way was installed! That would have made putting them together so much easier!

[JSGerson]

Unegawahya: I am making slow progress on my first canopy, working out the process (I've had a lot of false starts). My current method, so far, has worked out to be way more complicated than yours. I will post details and pictures once the fabrication and installation is done because I still don't know if what I have done up to now will be the final method.

 

Jon

[JSGerson]

To fabricate the arched framework, I had to work out how to make the central ornament. If I had a metal lathe (and knew how to use it) it might have been relatively simple...I think, maybe. But I don’t, so this is how, why, and what I worked out, based on the US Navy plans.

[JSGerson]

First Attempt – Original Plan

As mentioned in my earlier posts, I had to forgo using a brass hub because I had difficulty drilling holes in brass and thus substituted styrene. The styrene hub 8 circumferential support positions, of which 7 of them for this canopy support, were drilled with a hole to accept an arched support. Unfortunately, drilling these holes practically cut the styrene tube in half.

Edited 7 hours ago by JSGerson

[JSGerson]

Second Attempt

I was forced to make a small dimensional compromise. The top part of the full-scale ornament is 2” in diameter which scales down to 0.03” (1/32”). This had to be enlarged to 1/16”Ø due to fabrication practicality.

 

At the center of the hub, is the ornament which consists of a 1/32” brass rod which is inserted through a 1/16” brass tube. At the bottom of the tube, the 1/32” rod extends out into the 1/16” brass bead. At the opposite end, the rod and tube were to be filed into a rounded point.

 

However, the enlargement forced me to remake the styrene hub component. The 3/32” Ø styrene tube’s inner diameter was about 1/64” was too narrow to allow the 1/16” Ø brass tube to pass through. It had to be drilled out with a 1/16” drill bit. This left a very shallow 1/64” tube wall rail seat for the 0.020” brass rod to rest on and glueing surface. Mechanically, this would be very fragile and would not secure the 0.020” brass rods.

[JSGerson]

Third Attempt

My next idea would be to cut the 1/16” Ø brass tube leaving the 1/32” Ø rod alone uncut. Now there would be two 1/16” Ø brass tubes one on top of the other with a gap in between, wide enough to accept the 0.20” brass rods. This expose tube wall would extend the rail seat another 1/64”. Mechanically, it is slightly stronger than the previous idea, but still fragile. And how does one assemble 7 to 8 spokes into the hub and hold them in place precisely to glue them together with sufficient strength?

[JSGerson]

Fourth Attempt

The next development was the idea to make a double support such that the brass rod would pass into the hub and back out through a difference opening as a second support. This would mechanically fasten the brass rod to the hub. To do this, I would have to change the drilled holes in the hub to vertical slots so the brass rod could be dropped into the openings. It’s not like the rod can act like a piece of string that can be threaded.

This introduced a new problem. Once the holes in the styrene hub were converted to vertical slots, the remaining vertical styrene material was now narrow, flexible, and weak and would break off should anything tug on them…like the brass canopy rods. Additionally, more room is needed to accommodate the bends.

[JSGerson]

Fifth Attempt

Ok, let’s be more pragmatic and increase the diameter of the hub to 1/8”Ø and sacrifice a bit of scale. If I’m going to do that, I can also discard the styrene for the hub material and come full circle and use brass tube once again. Since I won’t be drilling holes, (the reason for the plastic in the first place), but cutting slots, I’ve eliminated the brass holes problem.

[JSGerson]

The trick here is cutting the brass slots to accept 0.020” Ø brass rod. My fine-tooth miter hand saw is 1/128” (0.008”) thick, cutting very narrow slots. The slots were 1/64” too narrow and my files were too thick to fit in the cut slots to widen them. Using various drill bits in my variable speed Dremel at the slowest setting, the slots were widened by sliding the spinning drill bit up and down the slot cutting with the bit’s side. Sorry, I could take a picture of this, as I needed both hands to perform this procedure.

[JSGerson]

The end of the 1/8” tube was sawed off, producing a 1/8”Ø “crown” shaped component. Next, a slice of 3/32” tube was cut creating the seat ring, which was inserted into the bottom of the “crown.” Inside of that, a length of 1/16” tube was inserted creating the inner wall and axial of the hub assembly. Following the plan, additional pieces were added to create the hub.

[JSGerson]

A length of 2 3/8” 0.020” brass rod was cut and bent so that one leg was 1” and the other 1 3/8” for the two supports lengths of the frames. This is a bit more than was needed, but it is easier to cut off excess than extend a short leg. Three pairs or 6 supports were created, however, this canopy required 7 supports. The last support (non-pair) was planned to be added once the canopy was assembled. At that point the seventh support will slide into the remaining opening in the hub and be glued into place. A length of 1/16”Ø brass tube was inserted into the hub assembly as a “working” handle. As each pair of supports was added to the hub, it was secured by CA glue.

[JSGerson]

To complete the mechanical hub structure, a locking ring was cut from the 1/8ӯ tube and fitted over the slots converting the slots into holes and locking the supports to the hub.

 

 

Edited 7 hours ago by JSGerson

[JSGerson]

The assembly was cut off from the working “handle,” the ornamental top was trimmed, and the ornamental brass bead was glued to the bottom stem. The second photo shows assembly lying on the hatchway.

[JSGerson]

A 3/32” hole was drill into each of the two bending jigs to position the canopy hub. The canopy supports were easily bent which created a brass “spider.” Note, the 7^th support remains to be fabricated.

[JSGerson]

Attaching the “spider” to the stanchions went smoother than I had expected. The legs of the “spider” were trimmed and be approximately even with each other. Then a brass bead was added to each support and inserted into a stanchion, moving around the hatchway one by one in turn. The last support (unpaired) was cut to size from the “0.020” brass rod and added to complete the canopy. It’s not perfect, a little out of scale, and maybe a tad crooked, but it’s done. This one assembly took almost two months to complete. Now that I know what to do, hopefully the remaining four frames will go a little easier and quicker…maybe.