USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040

[JSGerson]

Kirby - Thanks for looking in

[JSGerson]

It’s been just over 5 weeks since my last post and like an old-time movie serial, left my readers hanging as to what happened. Well, I had some distractions like Thanksgiving where I took to week trip to visit my sister whom I hadn’t seen in two years due to the pandemic, getting my bathrooms renovated (master bathroom finally done just last week and the guest bathroom this coming week), dealing with my eyes, (I have surgery scheduled for the right eye next week), and overall frustration that I could not get the window sashes made to my liking.

 

After a lot of interruptions as noted above, false starts, do-overs, lost pieces (the rug gets very hungry), clogged CA glue applicators, and other gremlins all well known by model builders world-wide, I finally got all six sash frames completed. Some came out better then others, none was perfect to my standards (which were probable over my skill level).

 

Once the frames were touched up, voids filled, tweaked the frame openings for fit, and painted, individual templates were made from card stock for the mica pane inserts.

[JSGerson]

Using just a bit of double-sided tape to secure the template to the mica, the mica was cut to size with scissors and a very sharp X-acto knife. Then the template was pried off with the blade. In most cases, the mica cleaved apart from itself leaving a fine layer still stuck to the tape. The mica was then placed inside the back of the window frame and secured there with a few tiny dabs of PVC glue in the corners of the frame.

[JSGerson]

The frames were then inserted and glued into the window openings of the quarter galleries. Simple process, it only took me …breaks out the calculator…60 days.

[KirbysLunchBox]

Looking good! I know distractions myself. I have this whole week off of work, but I doubt I will get to work on my ship at all. I am also in the middle of a bathroom renovation… that I started Thanksgiving week with the intentions of finishing Thanksgiving week. 

[CiscoH]

great job on the windows!  i completely agree they make a huge difference.  i’m working on the AVS and i always felt the kit supplied windows look very thick and unnatural.  based on your posts it seems it wont be trivial to do my scratch versions and i’m now prepared for many re-dos.  and i have to order some mica sheets

[JSGerson]

Since my last posting, I’ve had my first of two eye surgeries, actually on my lower eye lid. Once the outpatient procedure was done, I looked like I had a bout with Mike Tyson. I had quite the shiner on my right eye. My eye is still blood shot, but the swelling has gone down a bunch. Needless to say, it has added another in a long list of excuses why I haven’t made much progress this past week. I did try though. In preparation for the trim work for the quarter galleries, I needed to make some more trim from stock. That meant setting up the Dremel drill to make more scrapers. All I managed to do was break two grinding discs before I even turn on the tool. Realizing I could not see well enough yet to make the trim, I did managed to paint the transom black which had to be done anyways.

[JSGerson]

Another month has gone by since my last post. I previously mentioned that I had the first of two scheduled eye surgeries. As it turned out, I needed additional surgery to tweak the first surgery and then I had surgery on my left eye for a total of three operations. Although these were 2 hr. outpatient procedures, it slowed me down more than my usual slow self. BTW, the surgeries were to correct a condition where my lower eyelashes curled in, irritating the eyeballs, which affected my sight. However, some progress has been made to the model, sort of. It’s not to my liking, but I will have to accept it.

 

Adding the trim work to the quarter galleries revealed glaring distortions which I tried to minimize. How successful I was, is for you to judge. The key to my frustrations was of course, I did not have a true plan view or image of the windows. After all my effort, the trim and the windows didn’t align as I would have liked it, but I am moving forward.

[Tony_Brooks]

Hello Jon, greetings from Sydney Australia.
Whilst I wait for my kit to arrive (Occre) I am planning and researching HMB "Endeavour". This ship is as important to Australian history as the Connie is to USA's.
I have only just caught up with your build log, and devoured it over the past few days. I wanted to tell you how much I envy your skills and determination, especially on the subject of fine detail which may not be seen or even visible. The builder knows it is there.
Also I empathise as a mature-age builder. I am 74 with much the same ailments as in spinal fusions and cataract repair. My spinal problems resulted in reduced mobility, tremors and a lack of fine motor control, so I too will battle with ultra-fine parts and detail, but your helpful and entertaining log will inspire me even if it is a different subject.
Many thanks for your contribution to this fine hobby, and all power to your hand.

Regards,
Tony Brooks

Edited February 9, 2022 by Tony_Brooks

[JSGerson]

Greetings and salutations, Tony from Sydney Australia! Glad you are enjoying my build log. Whoever said these were the "golden years" didn't realize they get very rusty as we get older (I'm 75). Although I "complain" a bit, I am very grateful that in reality, I am in relative good health. No real pain, tremors, or lack of motor skills. Well, maybe lack of some modelling skills. Hopefully, I've had the last of my back and eye surgeries...at least for a while. I wish you well on your Endeavor.

 

Jon

[JSGerson]

The next piece of trim to be added to the quarter galleries was the decorative molding just under the windows. The thing is, the quarter gallery molding must line-up with the transom molding and the molding on the opposite quarter gallery. A length of 3/32” boxwood strip was scraped to create the grooves in the decorative molding. First, the transom molding was installed just below the window/gun port openings Then using that molding as a guide, the quarter galleries’ moldings were installed. Finally, the remaining decorative blocks were added to the quarter galleries. All the decorative boxwood panels, blocks, and moldings were pre-painted prior to installation and touched up later if required.

[JSGerson]

Ship’s Nameplate

Separating the lower decorative molding on the transom is the ship’s nameplate. To create this, I used the US Navy plan as my guide. The nameplate shown on the kit’s plans is very close to the Navy plans, but the Navy plans provided the actual dimensions. But like the kit, I had to make compromises due to scale issues. In the end, I used a 1/16” wide x 1/32” thick strip of boxwood cut to the proper length. The corner notches were filed in, and the side were beveled slightly. With a couple coats of paint, the edges were painted white and the face black. Finally, the face was cover with a clear coat of Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish for a smooth finish. Following the instructions of the practicum, I bought a single sheet, item MG6740, 45° USA Gothic White dry transfers made by Woodland Scenic. This sheet has several different sized white letters and numbers sets. I used the 3/32” set. I bought other different sheets as well which I will discuss when I use them.

 

To transfer the lettering, I drew some guides lines as a visual aid on a piece of wood which was then covered by a length of double sided tape. The blank nameplate and a copy of the name plan (reduced to scale) were then laid on the tape. The plan image acted as my layout guide. All I had to do was burnish the transfer letters onto the nameplate below the corresponding letter on the plan. To make the burnishing a bit easier, I cut the 3/32” set off from the original dry transfer sheet for easier handling. Once all the letters were applied to the name plate, another coat of Polycrylic Protective Finish was applied to protect and seal the dry transfers.

[JSGerson]

The name plate was glued to the transom on the centerline just below the first decorative molding. A second molding was made for the transom and quarter galleries and applied directly below the name plate and wrapped around to the galleries. (Note, 1st image was taken when model was inverted)

[JSGerson]

Next, the lower decorative moldings were added to the quarter galleries which no flat surfaces. To make them wrap around the galleries, they had to be bent both horizontally and vertically which was a bit tricky. I’m not proud of the craftmanship, but it’s what I got with the skills I have. It could have been better, and it could have been worst. It’s what I now have. There is still a bunch left to do on the transom, but at least they are on a relatively flat surface.

[bthoe]

Nice work on the name plate!  And you don't have anything to apologize for on those quarter galleries either.  Hoping mine will look something like yours when I get there.  Again, great work, Jon!

 

[JSGerson]

Thanks Bob

[JSGerson]

Transom Trim Continued

Double arch

The practicum chose not to use the laser cut double arch molding because they:

• Became very fragile once removed from the laser cut board
• Were square cross section whereas the actual molding is half circle cross section
• Were difficult to shape and sand

As much as I wanted the trim to be made from wood, it was much more practical to follow the practicum guidance and use white 0.060" half round styrene. Like the practicum directed, I used the kit's laser part to pencil in a faint line across the transom where the styrene piece was to go. By holding the laser cut piece in place with one hand, I traced around one edge with the other marking the curvature on the transom with a pencil which you can just see in the second image. The first image below shows the actual transom as a reference.

[JSGerson]

I remember someone had commented somewhere on another build log that one should paint the white styrene, white. He claimed that over time the plastic tended to yellow a bit. I also find that the styrene has a sort of translucent look to it, so it doesn’t quite match the look of the white paint wood. Therefore, instead of using the Styrene molding strip straight from the package, I painted it white.

 

I also tried to pre-bend the styrene to give it some bend memory to make it easier to install. I bent the plastic to shape and held it overnight. I wanted to heat it as well, but my hair drying just didn’t get hot enough. In the end, the pre-bending didn’t help that much. Following the practicum, I CA glued the transom gluing a little at a time while bending it. What did surprise me was the effect CA glue had on the plastic. It made it brittle and made the plastic break as I was bending it as shown in the images below. The broken pieces were repaired and glued back into position. Please note, the piece of wood between the styrene strips was used as a spacer.

[JSGerson]

Port Holes

There are port holes the on either side of the gun ports. After the hole positions were measured, they were drilled in. I didn’t want to leave the holes open so used a piece of clear plastic from an old car model’s parts tree. Using my Dremel drill as a lathe, I filed the plastic as it was spinning in the drill till it obtained the proper hole diameter. I sliced off two pieces and when placed into the porthole openings, they had a nice snug fit. No glue was necessary. Voila, “glass” portholes.

[JSGerson]

Transom Gun Port Columns and Eagle

The practicum gives the builder two choices: use the kit provided columns or scratch build them. Mr. Hunt scratch built his from styrene. In the end he states: “the kit parts, when painted white are quite adequate and due to the size of the parts, I feel it will be very difficult for most to make these pillars.” In this case, I chose the easier route, and used the kit parts

For the eagle, I used the kit provided pre-cast decoration. I have no carving talent. The practicum provides a scaled image of the eagle chest flag shield, which it instructs to be printed on paper and cut out to be glued on. I chose to make a decal. The decal was applied to the eagle and coated with a small amount of softening agent, Micro Sol. This allowed the decal to conform better to the minor irregularities of the painted precast metal. Note the decal is shiny in this image because it was still wet when I took the picture.

[JSGerson]

Transom Stars

If you look carefully at images or the actual ship transom, you will notice that there are 6 white stars which are mounted on pentagon bases which in turn are mounted to the transom. The practicum provides a template for the stars. Four are one size while the two outside end ones are slightly smaller. The kit shows them on the plans but does not provide any laser cut or precast stars. Neither the kit nor the practicum addresses the pentagon backing. The US Navy plans do provide the details for the complete star. Using this information, the stars and pentagons were printed to scale, cut and rubber cemented to 1/64” plywood. The plywood was cut to shape. It should be noted that the stars are faceted and not flat in real life, but at 1/76.8 scale that detail is lost and not worth the effort to recreate. If fact, I had difficulty just creating the star’s basic shape due its small scale. The stars were painted white and pentagons black, then assembled as one unit.

[JSGerson]

Transom Ring Bolts

There are two large ring bolts located on either side of the eagle. A horizontal tab with a hole in it holds the vertical ring. The bases were made of 1/8” x 1/8” x 1/16” pieces of wood. The horizontal tab was fabricated from 0.016” copper plate. I wanted to use brass plate, but I didn’t have a brass plate thick enough. Holes were drilled into the tabs to accept the ring and the end was filed to a half round. Both the copper tabs and the rings were blackened. The wood blocks were painted black, and holes were drilled to accept the horizontal copper tabs. The tabs were inserted into the block holes and glued with PVC glue so that the glue also acted a hole filler. Finally, the excess copper was cut off and the back of the block sanded flush. The rings were then inserted into the tab holes. The white transom trim was cut to accept the ring bolts and they were glued into place. The gun port lids are the last thing to be installed on the transom. These I will hold off on until I install all the lids to ensure consistency in fabrication.

[JSGerson]

Here is how the transom looks now.

[robdurant]

On 3/21/2022 at 7:47 PM, JSGerson said:

I remember someone had commented somewhere on another build log that one should paint the white styrene, white. He claimed that over time the plastic tended to yellow a bit.

 

Hi, Your Constitution is looking really great! Styrene does discolour if it's left on sunlight without some sort of protection, such as paint... I have some sheets that were left out near a window that gets plenty of sun (I live in England, so nothing too ferocious) over the period of a summer, and it ends up looking like this...  The fade is because one side end was nearer the window, so got more sun. To the right is another part of the same styrene sheet that didn't get any sun, and it's on top of normal white paper to give a colour comparison. I believe it's to do with chemicals leaching out, so some styrene is more susceptible than others, but others would doubtless be able to give a more detailed explanation. Definitely worth painting it, though.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by robdurant

[JSGerson]

Thanks for the conformation Robdurant.

[JSGerson]

Update

Just an update on the health of my eyes, I just had my 3^rd eyelid surgery in March this past week. The surgeries were to correct eye lashes curling into the eyes instead of out, which irritated the eyeballs, affecting my vision. That’s 6 surgeries (2 on the left eye and 4 on the right) since December 2021. This doesn’t count the two cataract surgeries in 2020. I had complications in all but the last two surgeries. So far, I still can see, and the eyelids appear to be healing well. Hopefully I won’t need any more work on the eyes. However, pacemaker replacement surgery is expected before the end of the year. The “Golden Years” tend to get a tad rusty.

 

Berth Deck Port Lights Continued

Back in July 2021, which if you dig back in this log (starting at posting 543 and 545), I was going install the berth deck port lights and scuttles into hull. I had marked and drilled pilot holes for their positions into the hull and discussed in detail how and why I was going to do, what I was going to do. However, I didn’t go any further than that because I decided to work on the quarter galleries and transom first. Well, your long wait is over.

I had noticed on some of the other Model Shipway builds that the modelers were installing the port lights incorrectly. They were installed proud of the hull. According to the kit plans, and as evidenced on the actual ship, the only part of the port light that is proud of the hull is the canopy. I planned not to make that mistake.

[JSGerson]

After trimming the metal port lights castings, they were blackened so as to show what little detail they had. However, they might be painted later because they didn’t show much. The original positioning holes that were drilled into the hull last time were finalized with a shoulder to accept the metal parts properly. The castings were installed with PVA glue so that I could adjust them if need be.

[k-mart]

Jon,   Sorry to hear of your eye and pacemaker issues.   Best of luck  hope all turns out well for both issues. 

 

Your Connie is  looking good.   I went through same exercise as you.   All the other posts on Connie I saw they had the ports proud.   Had planned to do same, but on my  last visit to the real ship.. I saw they are indeed flush.  So I enlarged the holes and made the flush as well.    Also see you put in nails for the bolt heads near the gun ports.  Was debating on adding those.  but seeing yours  I think I will add as well.    

 

I glad you progressed past me now on the hull work.   I may need to copy some of your techniques  on the stern stars and eagle shields.  Have been trying to figure out how to do those stars.  

[JSGerson]

k-mart: In theory, the stars were simple to do. In actuality, trying to hold the tiny 1/64" thick plywood stars to cut/carve/file/sand them to shape was a bit demanding. As you can see from my photos, some came out better than others. I suppose if I had used Styrene sheets as my material for the stars, I might have been able to get more precise and cleaner cuts. I just didn't have any. From a distance of one foot, you can't see the imperfections. Hope you have good results.

 

My eyes lids are doing fine so far. The pacemaker is just coming to it end of battery life. I got 13 years out of an expected 10 year battery so this will be just a routine replacement. Thanks for your concern.

[JSGerson]

When I last handled the hull scuppers, I had just fabricated them, drilled the hull pilot holes, and painted them black (not shown below). You may note, some of the paint wore off due to handling. This why I blackened the port lights. They will be repainted after they are installed on the model.