USS CONSTITUTION by Brian Falke - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - Scale 1:96

[Brian Falke]

I purchased this model kit about a year ago while I was finishing up my second model, first scratch (USS ENGAGE).  Now that I am done with that model (with the exception of building the display base) I am moving on to something more challenging.  However, I am not a fan of the kits solid hull and only having the gun deck and main deck visible.  There is a lot more to the CONSTITUTION than those two decks.  My plan, therefore is to mix this as a kit and a scratch.  The hull is going to be plank on frame.  One side of the ship (probably the starboard) will be completely planked and painted; the other side (port side) will be open, so that someone can see all decks of this fine ship.  Additionally, I am going to be as true to the construction of this model as to the original.  I am going to use white oak and yellow pine through out the hull.  I recognize this will be a significant challenge and will consume years (USS ENGAGE took me 12 years to complete, granted it sat idle for significant portions of that period).  Everything else will be as per the model kit instructions.

 

My first step in this process is the framing.  Using the hull lines plan from the model instruction book I traced out one side of the frame and scanned the tracing into a PDF.  I have attached the tracing for Frame "7".   After scanning into my computer, I adjusted the scale to 100% (they were coming out at 139%) and took a screen shot of just the tracing from the centerline out just past the frame.  I then pasted that screen shot onto a Power Point slide, increased the size to 108% (I came to that percentage after trial and error of getting the print out accurate size).  I copied the half and flipped it to make the entire frame - port and starboard side (see the attached photo).

 

Once I have all the frames and keel complete, I will glue them onto white oak plank and commence cutting.  I have a concern about the strength of the frame, especially where it narrows at the top, above the main deck.  My gut tells me to glue two or three planks with their grains perpendicular to then one next to it and then plane that down to the thickness of the frame.  I am open to suggestions here, and welcome them as I am still tracing out the frames.

CCF07272019_00002.pdf

[SigEp Ziggy]

WOW, very cool. I thought about doing the same thing however with the Revell kit and only half frames, maybe port. Will love to see your progress.

[Brian Falke]

I am going to jump ahead in the build, way ahead.  But, there is a reason.  If you will bear with me for a bit.  My reason for building this kit was to include my father in on the build.  You see, growing up, my father also built model ships and the one that I will always remember was the paddle boat ROBERT E. LEE.  It was absolutely incredible.  I was mesmerized by it. It now sits in my sister's house in Mississippi as my dad felt that it should reside as close to the paddle boat region as possible.  I will get pictures of it one day and post them to this build. 

When I first received the kit I went over to my parents house to kick it off, and get my dad involved.  It is unfortunate that now, in his old age he is not able to do this type of work.  So, I packed up the kit and brought it back to my house to build.  I still want to include my father in on the build, but with easier tasks.   So, I am jumping ahead to the guns.

I was already to grab the guns, the truck carriages, the trucks and the paint (thank you BlueJacket for delivering in time) and head down to my parents house to paint and build the guns.  But, once I opened the guns I noticed that they required a little prep work before painting.  The web between the gun and trunnions and seams along the barrel needed to be smoothed down.  Additionally, the gun required boring out.  So, I set my travel plans aside and commenced to prep the guns. Using my power Dremel tool I gently ground the web down rounding out the trunnion and barrel in those places.  Using the wire brush on the Dremel I wired smooth the seams along the barrel and all along the barrel, breach and trunnions.  My next dilemma was to bore the barrel in the center.  To do this I clamped a 3/4" scrap piece of plywood to my drill press and drilled a 7/16" hole through the board.  This allowed me to insert the gun into the hole with the muzzle swell up and centered.  Using a 1/16" drill bit, I then bored out the barrel to a depth of about 3/16".

[Brian Falke]

After boring and smoothing the exterior of each cannon, I then focused on the carriages.  Being one for details, I noticed the gun tackle loops and breeching ringbolt on each side of the carriage required holes for the small brass eyebolts supplied with the kit.  I have scanned a few of the builds here and noticed that these were not included, so I am assuming that the kit does not come with enough eyebolts to do all the carriages and where needed throughout the ship - so I will have to order more.  The problem that I faced was now to drill holes in each of the carriages exactly (or dang close) to each other to achieve uniformity.  To do this I took a blob of JB Weld and mixed it together until it was starting to cure.  I then took the blob and pressed it onto the 3/4" plywood.  I then sprayed each side of the carriage with WD-40 so that the carriage would not stick and then pressed into the JB Weld each side of the gun carriage.  With the impression of each side of the carriage in the cured JB Weld blob, I let it cure until it was solid. This provided me with a stationary form where I could put one carriage into the impression, drill one hole, remove the carriage and put a new carriage in and drill in the same place until all carriages had the gun tackle loop drilled and in the same place.  Then I realigned the form on the drill press platform to drill the breeching ringbolt in the same place for each carriage.

[Gregory]

Ooops..  Commented without reading all of your original comments..  You can request admin to delete this if you like..

Edited September 20, 2019 by Gregory

[Javlin]

Like the way you think jigs are handy. Kevin

[Brian Falke]

Using the same jig process as I used above, I drilled a hole in the back of the Quoin for the handle for each of the gun carriages.  The BlueJacket kit does not come with a handle as the expectation is to not get down to this level of detail on the build (but, I am modifying the kit to some extent) and I felt a Belaying Pin would work perfectly as the handle.  The pins in the kit are 1/4", which are a little too long for this purpose.  So, I purchased 3/16" Belaying Pins from another supplier and they worked perfectly.  The handle part is about 3/32", which to scale is 9".  As a prototype, I finished one of the 32 guns.  Also, below the Quoin you will see the fitting for the Train Tackle.  I will have to drill that hole by hand on the carriages since it is located just above the rear truck.  Here is the prototype:

[Brian Falke]

Picking back up on this build after finishing and placing in a display case (finally!) the previous build.  As I left off, I went down to my parents house to include my father in on the build.  Well, did not go as well as I had envisioned - unfortunately.  Guess eventually we all will reach that point.  I have a little re-work to do on the gun carriages.

Picking back up, as you recall, this is to be somewhat modified.  I am going to build the hull as a plank on frame construction in order to open one side of the hull, all decks for viewing.

My first was to do a little research in order to get a better picture of the keel.  From the National Archives, I was able to pull the drawings Samuel H. Pook drew in  1849.  Though not from 1812, it is well known that the keel is the original thus I felt Pook's drawings would be accurate for this purpose.  Additionally, I reviewed SCRATCH BUILDING A MODEL SHIP by Gene Bodnar (August 2007) and his build log when he built the CONSTITUTION in 4 sections.  The document is located here: http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/plans_and_research/ScratchBuildingaModelShipgene.pdf  and the build log is on another ship model building website.

The keel is as the CONSTITUTION's - white oak.  I elected to use a single keel, not two sections.  To get the proper size (1/4" x 3/16") of the keel, I used a planner.  Then, using a scroll saw, I cut the forward joint (where the bow stem meets the keel).  Then measuring back from that joint, I cut the stern end of the keel.  I did this process just in case I fouled up the bow to stem joint I wouldn't have to re-plane a new keel all over again.  The bow stem is made of two sections such that the curvature of the stem would follow the wood grain giving it the most strength.  After attaching the bow stem, using the Pook drawings again I cut out the sternpost and glued that to the keel.

After the glue had dried overnight, I then drilled holes at each joint just tight enough to insert a toothpick.  I then inserted a glue coated toothpick into each joint providing additional strength to each joint.

Once done I place the keel on the work table and saw that I was starting off with a little sagging (you can see the stern is a little off the table).  To remedy this, I place a small piece of metal under the keel at midships and then clamped down the stern and bow sections.  I then place a wet sock (shop rag now) on the keel and let it set overnight.  This, at last check, remedy the sagging and I now have a straight keel to work from.

Next step is to start on the frames - which again, will be using Bodnar's document as a guide.

 

 

[Reborn]

On 5/29/2020 at 1:50 PM, Brian Falke said:

Picking back up on this build after finishing and placing in a display case (finally!) the previous build.  As I left off, I went down to my parents house to include my father in on the build.  Well, did not go as well as I had envisioned - unfortunately.  Guess eventually we all will reach that point.  I have a little re-work to do on the gun carriages.

Picking back up, as you recall, this is to be somewhat modified.  I am going to build the hull as a plank on frame construction in order to open one side of the hull, all decks for viewing.

My first was to do a little research in order to get a better picture of the keel.  From the National Archives, I was able to pull the drawings Samuel H. Pook drew in  1849.  Though not from 1812, it is well known that the keel is the original thus I felt Pook's drawings would be accurate for this purpose.  Additionally, I reviewed SCRATCH BUILDING A MODEL SHIP by Gene Bodnar (August 2007) and his build log when he built the CONSTITUTION in 4 sections.  The document is located here: http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/plans_and_research/ScratchBuildingaModelShipgene.pdf  and the build log is on another ship model building website.

The keel is as the CONSTITUTION's - white oak.  I elected to use a single keel, not two sections.  To get the proper size (1/4" x 3/16") of the keel, I used a planner.  Then, using a scroll saw, I cut the forward joint (where the bow stem meets the keel).  Then measuring back from that joint, I cut the stern end of the keel.  I did this process just in case I fouled up the bow to stem joint I wouldn't have to re-plane a new keel all over again.  The bow stem is made of two sections such that the curvature of the stem would follow the wood grain giving it the most strength.  After attaching the bow stem, using the Pook drawings again I cut out the sternpost and glued that to the keel.

After the glue had dried overnight, I then drilled holes at each joint just tight enough to insert a toothpick.  I then inserted a glue coated toothpick into each joint providing additional strength to each joint.

Once done I place the keel on the work table and saw that I was starting off with a little sagging (you can see the stern is a little off the table).  To remedy this, I place a small piece of metal under the keel at midships and then clamped down the stern and bow sections.  I then place a wet sock (shop rag now) on the keel and let it set overnight.  This, at last check, remedy the sagging and I now have a straight keel to work from.

Next step is to start on the frames - which again, will be using Bodnar's document as a guide.

 

 

I never would have known where to start something like you are doing.  That is truly amazing.  I'll be keeping tabs on your progress, and I am certain they will be spectacular.

 

Ron

[SigEp Ziggy]

Looks really good! 

[Brian Falke]

It has been quite a while since I have posted.  Dealing with family issues, my own health issues, and just could not figure out how to build the frames out of wood with enough strength in them to withstand the construction process.  My first attempt failed miserably, so bad, that I threw it into the trash out of disgust without thinking to take a picture of it.  My second attempt, I divided the frame into 5 parts in order to keep the wood grain as close to parallel to the frame as possible.  Using Frame C as the guinea pig, I cut the five pieces out of white oak at a thickness of 1/4".  Using an S joint (guess that would be a good description) to join the pieces together, I glued them using wood glue and clamped for 24 hours.  The following day, went out to check on my work and it all looked fine.  I unclamped the pieces and then was checking the strength of the frame by slightly pressing the port and starboard ends together.  Immediately, the top S joint on one side snapped free, ending that test and ultimately, this process of wood frames.  I needed to find a way to build stronger frames and which did not take days just to build each one.  Additionally, the frame was not too accurate, so include that in the development requirements.  This is the wood frame:

 

[Brian Falke]

So, that attempt was back in May.  I had other ideas - try and cut the wood to 1/8th thick and glue two pieces together with the grain perpendicular to each, place pins in the  joints, etc... Each thought would resolve one issue, but would increase another, mainly time.  So, I started digging around and decided upon a 3D printer.  I am still using BlueJacket's plans and drawings to draw out each frame and from those drawings, creating the 3D file which will be then used to create the frame.  I know this is "cheating" a little, but given the time constraints and risk with using wood frames (one breaks in during construction - or worse, after it is completed), I am opting to use the 3D printer - hey, I WILL be using Wood Filament for the frames...so, I am staying as close as possible.  😉

 

Here is the same frame as above, Frame C, but from the 3D printer.  It is pure PLA filament that came with the printer.  This frame was just a prototype.

 

It is stronger - tested by squeezing the tops of the frame together - did not break.  And accurate, as you can see the tops are level, and the beam is the same on each side.

[Reborn]

That is amazing Brian.  If the frames are not going to be seen then 'cheating' would be allowed.  As such there are many ways out there to make this 3D printed frame look like wood.  So, I guess that would work.  It is amazing to see.  I would not even know how to begin to do what you are doing.  Nice work.

 

Ron

[Brian Falke]

I printed out all frames, with the exception of the stern and bow sections.  That section is going to be difficult to get right (more on that later).  So, I decided to check my work and plan for the next step, attaching the frames to the keel.  My initial plan was to print the frame with a toothpick size hole in the part of the timber that would rest atop the keel.  A toothpick would then go through the timber into the keel to add longitudinal strength (first photo).

 

I felt that would not be strong enough to withstand sanding and planking when the time came.  So, I slightly altered the frames so that they would have a notch in the bottom that the keel would fit into.  Next photo.

 

I again felt that the frames would not be strong enough for sanding.  That when I would sand them, they would flex inward, thereby rendering my sanding efforts ineffective for the most part.  So, I then decided to experiment with a "shell".  Pretty much printing out the entire hull from stem to stern, keel to top rail - well, close enough that I could effectively shape it using plastic wood and sanding.  To do this I expanded the frame line fore and aft halfway to the next frame line thereby having the frames connected thereby providing mutual support between the frames and to the keel.  I printed out from mid-ships to frame H in one section and frame J to U in another section.  I added two holes in the keel at the forward and after ends to attach the sections.  Using epoxy glue I was able to attach them with confidence that it would hold without concern.   After that, I filled in the sides with plastic wood and then sanded.  I used hand sanding, a couple of power sanders and a Dremel tool to sand them.  Because of the strength, the sanding was effective.  To test planking, I then attached a plank to the inside and outside of the hull.  Normal wood glue works perfectly with the printed hull.  Here is my test section.

 

 

This gave me the confidence to press forward with printing out the hull using the hull section diagram from Bluejacket's manual.  I have from the stern all the way forward to frame Y in the Bluejacket plan.  Here are the pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I pretty much have it all with the exception of the bow.  That is proving to be difficult.  I have printed it twice already and have significant strength issues.  The frames do not connect with each other when I expand the forward frames fore and aft like i had done with the rest of the ship.  I am now doing it in small increments, of .03".  So, it is taking awhile to get the frame designed in Tinkercad.  Once I do, will post the pictures there.  But this is where it stands now.  I am about ready to shape the hull to prepare it for planking. 

 

Regards, Brian

Edited April 28, 2021 by Brian Falke

[Brian Falke]

Still no bow.  However, the rest of the hull has been rough shaped on the interior and the exterior hull has been filled in with wood filler and sanded smooth.  I used wood rasps, 60 - 100 grit sandpaper for the exterior and wood rasps, a power drill sanding wheel, and a Dremel sanding drum for the interior.  I removed the ridges between the frames down to about halfway (from aft to forward for the frames forward of midships from forward to aft to those frames aft of midships) into the frame it self.  In the pictures the four sections between the bow and stern pieces are ready to be connected and then, when the epoxy is dry, sanded and filled in with wood filler.  Once I get the stern piece shaped (in the picture below, it is basically shaped, just letting the wood filler dry before smooth sanding) and the bow completed, all pieces joined and the junction seams smoothed, I should have a "shell" hull ready to receive interior and exterior hull planking.  In the last picture, two sections are epoxied and are drying.

 

     

 

Making progress...slow, but moving forward.

 

Cheers, Brian

[Brian Falke]

So, it has been some time since I last posted.  Unfortunately, not much progress has been made.  The hull sections are all in one piece now and sanded to form a relatively smooth hull shell which will receive planking on the interior and exterior.  In the two pictures below, you can see the hull I manufactured using the 3D printer and the hull provided by BJ.  The only section missing from my hull section is the transom/knuckle section.  Which I will get to later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The transom/knuckle area did prove to be difficult.  My initial vision was to fashion framing as the original ship is.  I cut a couple of stern timbers to attach to the wing transom.  Before attaching them, I tried to envision how I could get all the stern timbers cut and aligned with the laser cut transom provided in the kit, and have the strength to withstand the attaching process.  I just could not see that happening.

 

So, I decided to shape the transom/knuckle on the hull in the kit to get a better idea of what it should look like.  And, how the galleries would be shaped.  As I was shaping I though how can I transfer this onto my hull.  My initial inclination was to cut that section from the BJ hull and attach to my hull.  But, to be honest, that scared me.  Something that drastic is permanent and if the plan with my hull fails, there is then no back-up hull.  It then came to me to just get my own piece of basswood and shape the transom/knuckle from that and then attach it.  As for the galleries, I will use the metal pieces from the BJ kit to build them and then attach them to my hull.  Here is where it stands today.  (Pictures in follow on post).

 

 

 

[Brian Falke]

[Brian Falke]

And a starboard side view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still have to cut out the inside of the transom/knuckle.  But will wait until I have the exterior planked so that the planking provides added strength to the sides.  After the planking the galleries and laser cut transom will be attached.

[Brian Falke]

The transom/knuckle came out better than I though it would.  Using a Dremel with wood carving bits and sanding drums, I was able to remove the interior to provide proper thickness of the frames/timbers.  The resulting section is stronger than anticipated.  My initial thinking was to plank the transom and knuckle area before carving out the interior, but through testing on a block of basswood convinced me that would not be necessary.  Here is the result.  Now, I know it does not look smooth and ready for a coat of paint.  The interior will be planked as well as the exterior, so I was not to concerned with a finished appearance.

 

 

And from the stern with the etched transom from the kit clamped on (just for testing, not attached yet).

 

 

I did have to alter the interior plan a little.  For the bilge, Orlop, and Berthing decks, I will only show from Frame 35 to Frame T.  I found that while sanding the interior hull shell I could not sand the bow and stern sections smooth for two reasons.  First being that if it did, the hull shell at those sections would become too weak and collapse, and second, I just could not get a sanding tool into those areas to effectively sand.  So, I built two bulkheads at those frames as shown in the picture below.

 

 

Next steps are to plank the interior from the bottom of the Gun Deck to the keel.  To start I needed to mark the Gun Deck on the inside of the hull shell.  I first marked the deck line on both sides of the exterior shell, and using the smallest drill bit that would fit in the Xacto handle, drilled through the shell to locate and mark the interior.  That is where I will start with the planking and work toward the keel.

 

Cheers.

Edited January 9, 2022 by Brian Falke

[Brian Falke]

It has been a few months since I started planking the interior from the keel to the top of the gundeck.  It is, for the most part, complete.  Being the first time doing something like this, I really did not have an idea on how to proceed.  So, the port side (which is the side I will be cutting away sections to view inside the ship) I decided to proceed from the top to the keel.  It did not go as envisioned, but it went ok.  One thing my father taught me when it comes to woodworking is that the skilled craftsman is one that is good at hiding mistakes.  I will get to how I did that later.

 

On the starboard side I went from the keel up.  It did go better, but still some errors were made and had to do one adjustment plank if you will.  Here are the pictures

 

The first one is looking aft, the other, forward.

 

Now, how did I hid my errors.  The problem I encountered is the gap between the planks and butt joints was too great for my liking.  Yes, maybe once painted they would not be as noticeable.  In my youth I did a little surfing and I had to repair my own board.  A couple of times the board hit a coral head or rocks and left a significant ding in the board.  To repair this I scarfed out the foam under the fiberglass.  I would then grate that foam down to dust and mix with a water resistant glue.  I would then pour that back in the ding, let it dry, and refiberglass the board.  After finishing touches, it was almost good as new.  I used the same principle here.  I saved all the dust from sanding, mixed it with a 50/50 mixture of wood glue and water until it was a pasty consistency and then pressed that into the gaps.  Here are a couple of before, in process and after pictures

 

Now that I have the interior planked to the top of the gundeck, next step is to plank the exterior.  Before I do start on the planking, I will have to mark out the gunports and deck levels on the exterior.

 

Cheers!

 

[Brian Falke]

I am basically now at Section 7 of the instruction book.  I have marked, from fore to aft the gun deck on the outer hull.  Additionally, I have marked each gun port on the gun deck.  I did not attach the stem, false keel or rudder (the sternpost is part of the 3D printed hull).  I have elected to hold off attaching those until after cutting the gun ports on the gun and spar deck, and the passageway into the P/S quarter galleys.

 

Marking the gun ports and deck line from the 2D drawing in the instructions is made very simple using Micro-Marks Toolmakers Surface Gauge - Ship Waterline Marker.  First step was to transfer the frame from the working baseboard onto the hull.  Using two builder squares, this was a simple process.  One square was standing upright, and the other lying flat on the baseboard.  The flat square was place at the frame line, the second square then butted up against the hull and the flat square, then with a pencil mark the frame on the hull.  I did this for all the frames, port and starboard.

 

To transfer the deck line from the drawing to the hull, at each frame on the drawing, I measured from the keel to the deck line.  Adjusting the Waterline Marker to the proper height, I then, at the same frame already marked on the hull, marked the gun deck line.  Doing this on both port and starboard.  After completing the marks, I free handed the deck from frame to frame.

 

Next was the gun ports.  I started from the most forward gun port and moved aft.  I located the forward lower corner of the gun port and using the Waterline Marker, marked that corner on the hull.  Once I had the corner, using a draftsman's template as recommended in the instructions, I drew the 3/8in square.  This was done for all gun deck ports on both sides of the ship.  As you can see in the pictures there was some adjustments necessary.  The first go-around I did not get them in the correct location.

 

 

 

Now I have a question.  I measured the height of the gun above the deck (.38in) and the gun ports height above the gun deck.  The bottom of the gun port is .25in above the gun deck.  The center of the gun port is .4375in above the gun deck.  This puts the gun in the lower half of the gun port.  My plan is to have all guns run out, ready for battle.  I envisioned the gun would be centered through the gun port.  Are my calculations wrong?  Or, is that correct, the gun is in the lower half of the gun port?  I am hoping someone can shed some light on this as I am holding off cutting the gun ports until this is resolved.

 

Thanks, Brian

[JSGerson]

I have no idea if your measurements are correct but hopefully these plans from the US Navy (which are available at the USS Constitution Museum website) will help.

 

Jon

[Brian Falke]

Thanks Jon.  With the dimensions from the drawings you provided and me stepping away from the problem for a day, I am sure that I have it figured out.  The measurement from the deck to the bottom of the gun port is actually from the top of the deck beams, not the top of the finished deck.  Subtracting the height of the gun barrel (.38) from the height of the center of the gun port (.4375) yields .0575.  Converting that to 1/8in scale is roughly 5-3/4in, which is roughly (close enough) the thickness of the deck planking.  I should be good to cut the gun ports now.  Thanks.

[Brian Falke]

I felt that I was ready to commence the exterior planking, but, I was wrong.  I needed to transfer the gun ports from the 2D drawings onto the hull shell.  Additionally, I wanted to mark the deck levels along the hull.  This will aid me in the construction of the interior decks.  Using the Waterline Marker as previously discussed, I marked out each gun ports lower left corner and using a draftsman's template, I outlined each gun port on the gun deck and spar deck.  I found using the template as recommended in the Bluejacket instructions made this process very simple.  Here is the port side.

The red vertical lines are where I intend on cutting the hull out to see inside the ship.  I have not yet decided where the cut out will be for the Orlop Deck.  I know that it will include the main hold and aft.  But how far aft, not sure yet.

 

So, my next move was to define the main hold on the inside of the ship.  I marked the after line of the forward section of the Orlop deck and the forward line of the after section.  I drilled a very small hole horizontally through the hull at those location on both port and starboard side.  I ran a piece of small stuff through one hole to the other and super glued them in place.  Below is a picture of the string through the hull (looking aft).

 

As you can see I also painted the hold areas in preparation of installing the Orlop deck beams.  I was already to proceed with that process when I had one of those duh moments.  I forgot to install the diagonal riders.  So, I need to sand down the paint to bare wood and then install the riders.

 

Now a questions for the group.  Constitution's ballast in 1812 - granite stones/boulders or pig iron?  I am leaning towards pig iron.  Here is why.  In my research the initial ballast was pig iron and this was replace in 1813 with granite stones/boulders during a shipyard period.  The battles with HMS Guerriere and HMS Java occurred in 1812, before the change and, during the battle with Guerriere is where Constitution earned her motto "Old Ironsides".  So, 1812 is the year I am going for.  However, I have seen a number of Constitution hull cross section models and they all have granite stones/boulders as ballast.  So, I am leaning toward pig iron, but have my doubts.

[Brian Falke]

So, back to the topic regarding pig iron vs. stone ballast.  Did a little more research and according to the USS CONSTITUTION Museum during 1812 the CONSTITUTION used pig iron as ballast but also gravel in the hold for the casks to rest on.   With this, I will forego the pig iron and just add gravel to the hold before putting in the casks.  Now to find 1/96 scale gravel...

[Brian Falke]

The gun ports have been cut.  I will have to say, very nerve racking to go through that.  To cut the ports I used two methods.  The first was with a high speed drill using a 1/64 drill bit.  I would make multiple passes as if I were drawing a line with the tip of the drill bit.  The second method I used a hot knife with a 3/8in flat blade.  It cut through easily, but left behind melted plastic which I did have to cut either with a knife saw or an exacto knife.  Of the two methods, I would recommend using the hot knife.  It was not without its problems, but comparing the results from the two, the hot knife was better.

 

I have still to cut out the passageway for the quarter galleys and the port side for interior viewing, and mark the decks on the inside of the hull.  Once those are complete, I foresee starting the exterior planking.

 

[mort stoll]

I would try a pet store, aquarium gravel.

[Brian Falke]

@Mort , those are my thoughts as well.  just have to avoid the bright blue and pink gravel 😀

 

So took a huge step yesterday with the plan of being able to view all decks inside the ship.  I cut out the section from the port side.

It went easier than the gun ports.  Used a Dremel saw to cut through the hull shell and interior planking.  Above is a straight on view, below are looking aft and forward to give you an idea of what will be visible.

 

[JSGerson]

That was an awesome step. My heart would have been in my mouth if I did it. You are going to have a fantastic model when you're done.

Jon

[Brian Falke]

It has been a slow go this past year.  When I last reported, I was preparing to commence the exterior planking.  I have finished the exterior, and started on finishing the interior.  Since I am electing to use Live Oak as the planking material it does take time.  I have 12" long pieces of 1"x 8" pieces of Live Oak stock that I have to rip with a table saw, then plane it down to 1/8" using a table planer, then using Micro-Mark drum sander/planer, down to .09".  There is a lot of waste, but I don't have any other means to get the planks out of the wood stock. 

From there, using a band saw, I cut the planks (.04").  Through the sanding process, I sand off about .01" to get the correct thickness.  Here are the pics.  As you can see, I have already started on the interior, working from the top to where I left off from the keel up.

 

I apologize in advance, I have no clue why the bow and stern picture are upside down.  I have tried multiple times to get it right, but just not cooperating....

Cheers, Brian