USS Constitution by ERS Rich - Model Shipways

[ERS Rich]

Head Deck Gratings and Second Rail

 

It took me a while studying the plans and the reference books, particularly the Anatomy of the Ship, to understand the sequence to install the Second Rail.  Finally understood the deck grating is where to start.
 

The gratings sit on a frame attached to the stem and head timbers, and the rail acts as a fascia board, covering the outboard end of the timbers and the ends of the athwartship grating support beams.  Study plan detail 4A to understand this relationship.

 

The deck grating position drives where the beams are located on the timbers.  And the location of the beam on the timber drives the final shaping of the timber top.

 

So started by building the grating frames.  The frame aft edge is aligned to the bottom of the second strake below the sheer strake.

 

Picture 1 shows the port side frame.  Notice the beam ends are a little long and will be trimmed and shaped to fit against the side of the rail.  Also notice the rail ends offer additional glue surface area, that will help when glueing up the rail.

 

Picture 2 shows glueing up the rail with ends clamped and a rubber band in the center of the stem looped around the board.

 

Picture 3 shows the rail in place.  And picture 4 shows the grating installed.  Finally picture 5 shows the side view.

 

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by ERS Rich

[KirbysLunchBox]

Very nice!

[ERS Rich]

Trim the Head

 

Found 1/32” x 1/32” stock in the kit and decided to use it to trim out cheek knees, rails, and head timbers.

 

First picture shows clamping damp pieces next to the cheeks to bend them to shape.

 

Picture 2 shows some results.  

 

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by ERS Rich

[JSGerson]

Very nicely done. Even though the practicum used styrene plastic for the trim, I too plan on using wood. I hope mine looks as perfect as yours. One thought though, would it not have been easier to have painted the trailboard first, then glued on the white trim? It looks like a real pain to paint it now.

[ERS Rich]

36 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

Very nicely done.

Hi JS, thanks for checking in.  The trailboard hasn’t been glued in yet…..

 

Liking the wood trim in a big way, especially how it looks on the timbers.  It steam bends easily and glues up nice and quick.

 

Problem is, only 2 strips in the kit.  Having trouble making more with my mini table saws - the blade chews up the wood.  It’s available from Bluejacket…..

 

 

[JSGerson]

I didn't realize the trailboard wasn't glued in place. But still, painting the trim strips white with a black background might have been easier had the stem been painted black first.

 

I mentioned in an earlier post that I thought you were using a too large tooth saw blade on your Byrne's saw for the cuts you were making and suggested you switch to a finer blade. The fine tooth blade will slice those 1/32" x 1/32" strips with ease, but first you need to make a zero tolerance plate for the saw.  Jim sells blank plates just for that purpose. I've made 1/128" cuts without any problem, just maybe not 1/128" x 1/128".

 

I've been working at the opposite end of the model, the quarter galleries which has challenges of it own. Before you start tackling that, take a look at my planning, it might save you some headaches. I concluded that you should NOT use the kit provided windows.

[ERS Rich]

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

The fine tooth blade will slice those 1/32" x 1/32" strips with ease

Now that’s a great suggestion about the blade, thank you very much for reminding me!
 

Regarding the trim/painting.  One possibility is painting the trim first, white, then masking and applying black.  Light color first, then dark.

 

To save time and tape, going to paint black first with an Iwata RG-3 mini spray gun, then paint the trim white, with a brush.  Another thought is the white over black will diminish the “whiteness” of the trim, less pop.  
 

And only paint the outboard face of the trim.

 

Will checkout your log to see what’s up with the stern galleries….

[JSGerson]

I did a little more digging through my photo library and came to realize that the line trim on the real ship are not two separate strips but one wide piece with a groove down the middle. The area down the middle is actual proud of the hull, but not as high as the white trim. The white paint is indeed painted just on the surface (just as you plan to do) unlike the detail on the trailboard which is painted white down to the flat surface. I don't think any model builder I've seen, has actually constructed the trim on the model like the real ship. It's a detail that is lost in the scale of the model. I look forward to seeing your progress.

[ERS Rich]

Quarter Gallery- Part 1

 

This part shows the rough work associated with the base, windows, and roof.  Part 2 will cover the lower fairing block and trim.

 

Made the gallery base and roof out of hickory.  Hardwood will hold on edge better than soft pine.

 

The following shows how the base was made, same methodology for the roof.

 

Started with 1/4” stock (7/16” for the roof) and ripped the outboard angle.  Picture 1.  The angle was taken from the base template on the plan.

 

Then used the tilt table and miter gauge to cut the compound angle in the aft end to fit the angle of the gallery wing.  Picture 2.  Byrnes saw makes what could be a difficult task, trivial.  So easy to dial in the angles.

 

Pictures 3 and 4 show the fit of the lower piece against the gallery wing from the bottom and top.

 

The templates were used to mark up the stock.  Picture 5 shows sanding along the top line.  A file was used to smooth the outboard bevel on the lower  piece, and the roof contour. The templates were essential to get the correct shape.

 

Next the top and bottom blocks were glued to the hull.  Picture 6.  The aft window was used as a spacer.  Note both the base and the roof have the sill and a thin trim piece installed.

 

Finally the window openings were framed - starting at the aft end and moving forward.  Picture 7.  
 

Notice the frame pieces are extra thick and sit proud.  Pictures 8 and 9.  They will be shaped to match the curvature of the base/roof. 
 

The windows are a press fit and are removable for painting.  The edges will be sanded to establish a curve.  Notice the window sill is built up, so the window sills stair step at the bottom and are aligned along the top.

 

The last picture shows forming the cap strip with a piece from the billet and a clamp.

 

[ERS Rich]

[JSGerson]

Well, I was surprised that you decided to use the kit's windows. I tried to warn you of the problems.

[ERS Rich]

21 hours ago, JSGerson said:

warn you

thanks, just decided to do it my own way....🤔

[JSGerson]

Ah, you're a Frank Sinatra fan😄

[ERS Rich]

Trimming the Galleries

 

After the rough, the next step is to trim the galleries.

 

The horizontal trim, 1/32” square, was glued in stages, first picture shows the forward end of the piece glued, this was left to dry completely before proceeding aft.  Take care to make sure the trim is straight, it tends to wave.

 

I used a half round file to blend the roof block with the trim - picture 2.

 

Pictures 3 and 4 show the vertical trim pieces in place, and there are little tab pieces between the horizontal trim representing a base and capital.

 

Aware that the plan calls for 2 vertical trim pieces on each vertical stile, the piece between the windows, but two pieces looked a little crowded for me.  Next time I’ll try to see if I can mill 1/64” square stock.

 

Overall this is delicate detailed work.  The forward and middle window top corners are sanded down to create the curve.  The windows are brittle, and easy to chip.  Broke the bottom off one and had to glue it together again.
 

Slightly file and sand both the windows and the frames to get the the windows to sit square with an even gap all around.  Still some work to do on that.

 

At this point there maybe little gaps, say between the horizontal and vertical trim that will be bridged with sealer, and primer.  
 

Right now my thought is using a lite coat of Minwax Ipswich Pine, then prime with Vallejo acrylic primer.  Need to test that.

Next is making the bottom fairing piece - notice the rough piece in the pictures.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by ERS Rich

[ERS Rich]

Gunport Lids and Brows

 

Cut all the hinges from the frets using an xacto knife on the base of a Small Shop Hold and Fold.  Then fixed the hinges to the lids with a tiny dot of CA applied with a toothpick, made a tiny dot on the lid, then used tweezers to place the hinge.  
 

The upper lids fit perfectly.  The lower lids just needed to be trimmed on the bottom edge and this was done with the Byrnes Saw and the Sliding Table.

 

The brows were fixed with 5 minute epoxy being careful to align the hole in the brow midway between the gunport sides.

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by ERS Rich

[ERS Rich]

Prepping the Gun Barrels

 

The gun barrels were cleaned with a Degreaser.  

 

Then the parting lines on the barrels were removed using a diamond bur in the Foredom tool.

 

 

[ERS Rich]

Hull Construction Complete

 

Just about a year since the beginning and the hull is ready for finishing.  All hull construction is complete.  
 

A major milestone.  What a learning process to say the least.
 

Looking forward to finishing the hull.

Merry Christmas!

 

[ERS Rich]

A few close ups….

 

 

[JSGerson]

Well, you've accomplished a lot more than I have. Nicely done.

[Avi]

That is art right there. Absolutely beautiful @ERS Rich

[KirbysLunchBox]

This is looking really nice!

[ERS Rich]

Spray Painting the Hull

 

Completed the spray painting of the hull.  Trim painting to follow.

 

Hull was prepped with Varathane Ipswich Pine stain, 1 application, then light rub with steel wool.  Wood has a little “tooth”.

 

Lower hull is Tamiya Dark Copper XF-28, thinned with about 10% Tamiya Thinner X-20.  Paint applied with an Iwata RG-3L Mini Spray Gun with 1mm tip, @20 psi.  This gun produces a robust spray pattern such that the paint lays down wet, silky and smooth.  See Paul Budzik’s video on YouTube to find out about this gun.

 

Black bands are Tamiya Flat Black XF-1, also thinned with about 10% X-20 thinner, and with Tamiya Paint Retarder added to the mix.  Paint applied with a Paasche Talon, with #3 tip (0.6mm), @18psi.

 

White band is Vallejo Model Air white, with flow improver.  Also applied with the Talon.

 

Going to let this paint cure for a few days.  Next is the brush work to cleanup the overspray and paint the white trim and details.

 

 

[Sea Hoss]

That looks very good! Makes me want to invest the time and money in trying my hand at one!

[EddieO]

Wow... I cannot begin to tell you how helpful it's been for me to review this build diary. I'm also using the Bob Hunt practicum and I would be dead in the water without it. I have just begun the waterway portion of the build and you've provided some really great ideas on how to attack this. Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise. It gives hope and guidance to wooden ship newbies like myself... 🙂

[JLong]

Really nice progress.  I'm enjoying seeing the build as you go along. You're going to need a really big shelf when it's all finished!

Keep up the great work!

[k-mart]

Ran across your build log.   Got some great ideas from you.  especially on how to build the headrails.  

Great work!!!!!

[ERS Rich]

Project on Hold
 

Thank you for the positive comments.  At this time the Constitution project is on hold.  Question is whether to just model the hull or to fully build out the masting and rigging.  And given the size of a full model, where will I put it.

 

Expect to return to this project in the summer of 2023.  Looking for quicker results I’ve kicked off the Bluejacket USS Maine project.

 

Here she is on the shelf:

 

 

 

[Avi]

I will miss your update @ERS Rich. But I’m looking forward to following the Maine build. 

[ERS Rich]

19 hours ago, Avi said:

I will miss your update @ERS Rich. But I’m looking forward to following the Maine build. 

Hi Avi,

 

What happened is by the end of 2021, after about a year of Constitution, I burned out on wooden shipbuilding.  So spent the first 4 months or so of this year building plastic aircraft.  Really got the process down.  
 

Then after looking for several years, we found a new house, and preparing and selling the old house and moving into the new consumed the summer.

 

So returning to ship building decided to build an iron ship, a project mostly centered around photo etch, for a change.  Size also came into play, a full Constitution build requires just too much space……. That being said, with Constitution, I accomplished some big milestones in my ship building, including planking that type of hull, and building the head….

 

Good to hear from you,

 

-Rich

[Avi]

I get it. I go weeks sometimes without touching it, but then return with zest. I do miss building plastic models, though, but no more time in life.