USS Kearsarge by CPS_skybolt - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - Scale 1/96

[CPS_skybolt]

Thanks s4usea. I have tried contact cement before. For the bent pieces I use CA medium glue for the quick hold. I prefer not to use CA because of the fumes. When I get to the straight I'll try rubber and silicone glue.

Bob

 

Edited August 29, 2018 by CPS_skybolt

[CPS_skybolt]

Day three of copper sheathing. Slow going but I enjoy it. I am using CA medium glue.  I make a small puddle of glue ( a drop or two ) and touch the copper plate to the puddle I can get three or four plates glued to the hull before needing to add another drop or two to the puddle. The time before this when I was copper sheathing the Constitution I  placed a drop of glue to each plate. To much glue.  I was getting glue on top of some of the plates. Also I was using kicker ( to accelerate the drying time of the glue ) which put a haze on top of the plates. I had to spray the finished bottom with copper paint. I want a shiny bottom on this ship. I used dividers to find the number of plate vertically for each section of the bottom. Then I made a curved pattern on the hull to allow me to have the last four rows straight. See the photo.

 

Bob

Edited September 2, 2018 by CPS_skybolt

[CPS_skybolt]

I have used  900 copper plates left over from building the BlueJacket USS Constitution to cover one side and the rudder of the Kearsarge. I have ordered 900 more plates from BlueJacket to finish the other side.

Edited September 3, 2018 by CPS_skybolt

[Tim Curtis]

Really enjoying your build.

Looking great. This is one of the more interesting kits out there.

Look forward to seeing your expertise in action making it.

Tim

[Gahm]

This really looks good! I love copper plating . . . it always gives a model a lot of detail and character. What kind of nail pattern do the Bluejacket copper plates have? As far as I know they are not embossed but photo-etched. Are they specifically designed for a 1:8 scale?

 

Thomas 

[GrandpaPhil]

Looking good!

[CPS_skybolt]

Thanks for your encouragement all. I am not very good at sheathing. I am now about 75% finished sheathing.

Thomas, I do not know the scale of the plates. Original plates was 14" x 48" on the real USS Constitution. The BlueJacket USS Constitution model is also a 1/96 scale model as is thier Kearsarge model. BlueJacket only offers one size copper plate. The  photo is of one of the plates offered.

The bottom photo shows the USS Constitution being sheathed. I thought it was interesting.

Bob

 

 

Edited September 10, 2018 by CPS_skybolt
change picture and words

[CPS_skybolt]

Sheathing complete.

[Gahm]

Thank you, Bob, for the copper plate information. Your copper sheathing actually looks very good! A job well done!

 

Thomas

[CPS_skybolt]

Thank you Thomas. I could not paint good lines just above the sheathing so I resorted to an old favorite of mine, decals. I painted a sheet of decal paper and cut strips for the waterline white stripe and the trail boards. The I used SOLVASET decal setting solution to secure the decals to the ship.

Bob

[CPS_skybolt]

I installed the bowsprit iron and martingale.  No longer needing to work on the lower hull I mounted the ship on a thick piece of white plastic. I will have the plastic laser engraved with ships name and a brief history.

Bob 

Edited September 15, 2018 by CPS_skybolt

[etubino]

On 9/14/2018 at 2:41 PM, CPS_skybolt said:

Thank you Thomas. I could not paint good lines just above the sheathing so I resorted to an old favorite of mine, decals. I painted a sheet of decal paper and cut strips for the waterline white stripe and the trail boards. The I used SOLVASET decal setting solution to secure the decals to the ship.

Bob

Beautiful matt paint

[CPS_skybolt]

I completed the hammock nets, forecastle deck, and chain plates. Next are the gun port covers and deck structures.

[Kevin]

lovely work, the copper work sets the hull off very well, well done

[CPS_skybolt]

Thank you. I have constructed and installed the deck structures and gun port lids. Next are the cannon ball racks and deck fittings. 

 

Bob

 

Edited September 28, 2018 by CPS_skybolt
picture change

[Gahm]

Your progress is amazing! Your Kearsarge looks very good!

 

Thomas

[CPS_skybolt]

Thank you Thomas.

 

Bob

[CPS_skybolt]

Finished the two 11 inch guns. I fumble fingered my way through them. I have not glued them down yet. I used 28 AWG guage wire for most block pigtails. I used the kit wire for the larger blocks but that wire was to thick for the smaller blocks. I had bought the 28 guage wire at a bead shop when I was building the 1/96 scale USS Constitution. I had some super small bolts from model airplane builds that I used for gun elevation screws. I used scrap brass for the rails. I do not have a given work area for my model ship building so I use space in our large dining room. I lay down a large matt on the carpet floor then I set up two adjustable carpenter horses and lay a house door I bought for model building on top. I have a piece of manufactured marble that I lay on the door for a perfect flat work bench.

Bob

Edited October 8, 2018 by CPS_skybolt
add picture

[CPS_skybolt]

Guns completed. The Kersarge had two Dahlgren 11 inch guns, one Dahlgren 30 pounder and four 32 pounder guns. To the boats !

Edited October 13, 2018 by CPS_skybolt
correction of guns

[Gahm]

Your progress on this model is amazing. At that speed you'll be finished in a couple of months!

 

Thomas

[CPS_skybolt]

Finished boats and davits. Set these aside, will be installed last. Davits are very soft metal, easy to damage.  I need to make bolsters for the davits next then on to the masts.

Edited October 15, 2018 by CPS_skybolt

[CPS_skybolt]

I made the  main and fore masts. The top masts are made from brass tubes and rod. Instruction said to drill three .020 holes in the assembled tube and rod for the topsail halliard. My drill bit is not good enough to cut through this so I cut slots and then soldered the rod and tube together. I put extra solder on the joint then put masts in a drill, rotated them and used sandpaper to shape the solder to match the mast tube size. I tried to free hand the slot but it was not uniform. So I put the dremel tool with cutting wheel into its dremel drill press. For stability and proper spacing I put a block under the cutting wheel as seen in the photo. I joined the rod and tube and soldered. Final mast assembly comes later in the build.

A note here, to anyone building 1/96 scale ship. Use brass tube and rod for the top masts. When I made the Bluejacket 1/96 scale Connie I was forever breaking off the topmasts as they are tiny wood dowel. I broke them off several times until I put the model in its final protective case. If you look close at my USS Constitution you can see the scars.

 

Bob

[CPS_skybolt]

I completed the fore, main and mizzen masts. I placed the dowel for the lower masts in my small lathe and used 80 grit , 220 grit and a wood file to shape the taper of the masts. Upper masts are brass tube and rod. I placed the dowel for the yards in my drill and used 220 grit sandpaper to form the taper of the yards. These were easy and enjoyable to make. I used 28  AWG gauge wire for the ropes as I thought the kit wire to thick. I will set the masts in at a 5 1/2 degree slant aft. I will install the blocks on all of these next and assemble the masts with the yards before I glue the masts in place.

A note here: I think both sides of the weather deck is scribed for the planks. I would not use the side with the etched marks for the components locations. Some of the items do not cover the location marks on the deck. It does not look good. You can see some of this in Report post #48. Also, I should have marked off the beginning and end of the planks. Now the planks are as long as the deck.

Edited October 30, 2018 by CPS_skybolt
to add note and make text corrections.

[KurtH]

This looks like a very lovely build indeed.  I wish I could achieve the excellent results in painting and finish that I see here.  I will need to work on that aspect as I learn.

[CPS_skybolt]

Thank you. I enjoy your build so much. Your drive for details make your work stand out. I use an airbrush for most work, paint brush only on small details. Use of flat paint covers a lot of blemishes.

 

Bob

Edited October 30, 2018 by CPS_skybolt

[CPS_skybolt]

I had an idea for making adjustable shroud lines so I can adjust the vertical and horizontal of the masts. BlueJacket instructions said not to glue the mast in place. So I thought why not make shroud line beads. Plus it saves my trying to wrap the small line around and around again. this has probably been done before ( nothing new under the sun ).

[KurtH]

So, as I understand it, these beads are premade seizings (?).  Fascinating idea.  Thanks so much for the info and the pics!  I will definitely give it very serious thought.  I understand how adjustable shrouds can change the alignment of the masts, but I don't yet see how it solves a curving mast, or, in some cases, a double bend that makes the mast a lazy "S".  As far as mast alignment is concerned, I  worked on the places where I will step the masts until I had perfect alignment, as well as the exact angle when I inserted the dowels.  I have procured dowels for the lower masts that are straight, but if I blow it, I may not be able to find others.  Then I will make the masts from square stock like many other modelers on this site do.  That way, I can try again and again until I get it right. 

Edited November 8, 2018 by KHauptfuehrer

[Gahm]

This is a really fascinating build! And it blows my mind how fast you put this model together!

 

Thomas

[Javlin]

Nice Build Sir!!  Kevin

Edited November 9, 2018 by Javlin

[CPS_skybolt]

Thank you all for your thumbs up and comments. I have aligned the foremast vertical with a laser. I aligned the main and mizzen masts with eyeball. Tightened all the shroud lines and glued the first thread bead on each line. I will wait to align the 2nd and 3rd beads on each line when I get to the rat lines. So far the beads have worked well. The masts are not glued in. The lines are all that hold them  in place. The stays will let me adjust the 5 1/2 degree angle of the masts.  I think I will have to buy special cutters to trim excess thread from the beads as I don't want those ends showing, may sand them off with my dremmel. Then again how steady am I, LOL. My first attempt making 1/96 scale rolled up hammocks. Not sure these will stay, think I can do better, much better.

 

Edit, added note and photos: I used my dremmel with a drum sander ( used fairly smooth sanding surface  ) to sand the rat line stubs and it worked, smooth. I only used it on one side. You can see the stubs on the other side in the photo.

Edited November 14, 2018 by CPS_skybolt
added note and photos