USS Constitution by Avi - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1:96

[Avi]

Hi folks. My name is Avi Deitcher, finally starting my build log. 

 

"Old Ironsides" is my first build. I went camping up in Maine with my wife a very long time ago (Toddy Pond, for those who know the area), long enough that it was a year before our first kid, who recently finished college. On the way back, we stopped for a break and wandered into a store that had my jaw open the whole time, BlueJacket. I have wanted that Constitution ever since, and my wife just surprised me with the model.

 

It took a few weeks of going through the manual, including pulling out my old copy of "Sea of Words" to remember what half the terms meant (half being generous, more likely ¾ 🙂 ), slowly figuring out what paints to get, where to get tools, whether or not to get the topside planking and copper plates, not to mention going through the parts list. I needed calipers to tell which wood part is which! I finally am just about ready to get started. 

 

To make things more interesting, I live in Israel, so while some of what I need is readily available here, not everything is. I have an order from a local modeling place that arrived yesterday (he imports Vallejo paints and some tools), Amazon UK coming next week (mostly tools and sandpaper) and one from BlueJacket (planks and copper, etc.). Heading off today to the copy shop to make copies of the profile so I can cut it and start to shape it.

 

I have been looking especially at @KHauptfuehrer's amazing log here (who kindly responded to some of my questions in thread; I hope I stopped before really hijacking it), @jfinan's here (I really like your idea of staining the topside planks instead of painting them, and staining them before gluing them on), @JSGersonkindly welcomed me in the thread and linked to Ken Forman's build and Bill Edgin's build.

 

So many capable and helpful people here, I really am looking forward to this. Yes, I know the build is likely to take me years; I work full time doing technology business consulting.

 

I will post some initial pictures soon.

[Avi]

Oh yeah, almost forgot. @KHauptfuehrer recommended "Anatomy of the Ship", which of course I immediately ordered. I never argue with another book.

[Avi]

And the only picture you’re likely to see of me in this thread. All of the rest will be of the ship and work (maybe my hands will slip in at some point).

[schooner]

Good luck Avi!

She is not an easy choice for a first build but as you have seen on the Connie build logs on here it can be done, and done well.

Best advice I can give is go slooooow. Take each step as a project in itself and forget how much is left to do. If you measure 4 times and cut once you should be in good shape.

[Avi]

You are right, it isn't. If my wife had asked me, I might have suggested something else first. Then again, I might not. I love a good challenge, I am in no rush (I am fine with this taking literal years), and I truly love the Constitution.

 

Your list of builds is quite impressive @schooner, and thanks for the encouragement! 🙂 

[Jerry Berenson]

Avi, enjoy your build of the Constitution. I started it in Nov. 2020. Very challenging but also very gratifying! Kurt H blog is tremendous. He is a craftsman and his postings are very informative and helpful. Enjoy, שלןם... Jerry Berenson

[Jerry Berenson]

Avi, enjoy your build of the Constitution. I started it in Nov. 2020. Very challenging but also very gratifying! Kurt H blog is tremendous. He is a craftsman and his postings are very informative and helpful. Enjoy, שלןם... Jerry Berenson

[Jerry Berenson]

Avi, I saw your post concerning coppering the hull. I have elected to use copper tape on my models which I score vertically every 1/2 inch or so and get a very nice effect. It is very inexpensive and available on Amazon. Jerry

[Avi]

שלום Jerry! Thanks for the kind note. It looks to be very challenging, but I am thrilled to do it.

 

[jfinan]

I agree with Jerry, Avi. Challenging but gratifying. I set out to make my Connie "museum quality". Nope, not happening. Hahahaha. Anyway I'm still enjoying it two years in. All the best with your build!

 

[Avi]

I’ll be happy with “home presentable quality”, @jfinan, but I’ll do my best. 
 

just got enough copies to make my templates tomorrow, and some wood I can shape into the block to grasp it while I carve and sand away. 

[Avi]

Lucky me! My neighbour just finished home renovations and had a perfect block of wood left over. 

[Avi]

Made lots of copies of the hull station templates, cut them down to a normal size (why waste the outer white space), simple stick glue gets them on Bristol board, and then cut into 20 squares. All of this so far is crude work; will need to be precise when actually cutting the templates. 
 

Actually that kind of concerns me. Cutting a straight line on cardboard with a #10 or #11 blade is easy with a straight steel ruler. Cutting the curves of the hull, not as much. I’m happy for suggestions. 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Avi

[Avi]

I also found some “styrofoam board” when I got the Bristol board. That’s going to have more stiffness than the Bristol, so I’m using it for the hull profile template. I’m not sure how well I can cut it precisely, especially on curves, but my daughter says she can. Who am I to argue? 😄

[mort stoll]

Hi Avi,

 

Years ago I bought a set of "French Curves " made by Staedtler at my local Staples. That should work for you as far as the ships curves are concerned.

Hope this helps,

Mort

 

[Avi]

Like these @mort stoll? That’s a great idea. Thanks!
 

 

[Avi]

Hmm, I have finished the hull templates,

but find myself somewhat confused by the lowest number ones. It is nearly impossible to tell the differences between 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and while when you look at the bottom, 3 is clearly the outermost, at the middle it looks like they cross over, and at the top, it looks like 15 is the outermost? I’m quite confused. I’ve attached the layout to hopefully help. Sorry for the sideways pic; I have no idea why the forum did that.
 

anyone know? I think Nic is here at @MrBlueJacket

Edited March 1, 2021 by Avi

[Avi]

Something nice just showed up in the mail. 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Avi

[Avi]

My new workbench arrived, as did the dewalt hand sander. Finally found time to sand down the block of wood (it shouldn’t matter, as it’s only temporary, but a few splinters convinced me otherwise), then drill the screws in. 
 

Needless to say, we had to take a detour. The battery on my drill ran down, I put in the replacement, and it was dead. Charger didn’t light up. Turned out to be the charger, not the batteries, so I got that replaced and finished the job. 
 

Looks like I’m ready to start shaping and sanding the hull. 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Avi

[Avi]

I also discovered that the block was about 4" height, but my longest nails (left over from a drywalling job a few years back) were 3.5". So I took a drill bit slightly wide than the screw head, drilled 1.5" into the block, then a pilot hole 0.5" below that, and was able to get the screw through the block, sticking out the bottom just enough to hold the hull solidly. You can see the wider holes in the upper picture above.

 

As for the three holes? The screw went in on an angle in one of the holes, so I just did another, with a deeper pilot hole. No problem.

[Avi]

Another quandary, fairly early on. 
 

These two pictures show the scale profile used on cut out the board and use as a template to shape the hull, as well as the not-to-scale outline from the book. 
 

It looks from the plan like the proper place for profiling is the red line I added above, but I’m uncertain for several reasons:

 

- the book outline shows more straight lines than curving, implying that the curvature I have under the counter is incorrect

- the picture of the shaped hull by @jfinan here also looks like that, with the part coming up from the keel, just afore of the sternpost, hits a sharp angle which goes straight out to the stern, then another angle up at the transom 

- the directions indicate marking the height of the caprail and spardeck, both of which, in the scale plans, terminate at the blue line, ahead of the transom. 

For now, I’m leaning towards sticking with the red line, as I always can cut more later, but happy for advice. 
 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Avi

[schooner]

Avi,

I have not built the Connie but I am building BlueJacket's ALFRED and I seem to recall the same issue with where to set the profile around the stern. I think your blue line might be correct because that is where the bulwarks end but when you get around to adding the transom it will be convex (bending aft) and it's center line will reach the red line.

 

Bottom line - no need to cut to the blue line just now, wait until you hear from some folks with experience on this kit. You can always shorten the bulwarks later but it would be harder to lengthen them.

Edited March 18, 2021 by schooner

[Avi]

Thanks @schooner that makes sense. I will leave the template at the red line and cut to that, and then do blue if that is what is needed.

[Avi]

Time for next challenge: marking the hull templates. The profile is done, and it is easy to see where all of the stations along the keel rabbet are (I was sure that auto-correct was going to switch "rabbet" to "rabbit", but it surprised me).

 

You then need to extend the templates up the hull. Doing that in a consistent way with a consistent distance between them is proving to be challenging. I have them all cut out onto Bristol board, so there is some stiffness. Since all of the templates have the horizontal lines on them, I align it with the hull, use a small level against that line, and know that I have it in the right rotation around the hull.

 

I will admit that some of those towards the bow are surprisingly offset; they don't sit even close to well with the hull's curvature. I assume that just means I need to sand it down.

 

I found several challenges in marking them correctly.

1. The relatively stiff Bristol board can be angled forward or backward, even if level with respect to the ground and work surface. Even being off by a bit can make the distance between one and the next too wide or too narrow. I thought of using a divider or calipers, but then I have to get that one level. My next thought was to start with just one ("C"), measure distance to the next one on the keel rabbet, then apply that distance at a point up the hull (I have been using "WL10" as my reference point), use a level to ensure it is the right location. Now I should have WL10 on the next template, and can connect that point with the point for that template on the keel rabbet using the template, and it should go through. I am unsure if that will work.
2. The instructions recommend extending the keel centerline up to the top of the hull at the bow and stern. I am struggling for ways to do that while keeping perfectly aligned. The keel was easy, as it is flat and straight. The bows are curved (and cross the bump of the wood that is to be removed), while the stern goes over a nearly-ninety-degree angle at the sternpost, then curves up and around at the counter and transom.
3. Not immediately relevant, but when extending each template's markings on the hull to the "top of the hull", do they mean the "top of the spardeck" level (it is marked on the templates) or top of the planksheer (also marked)? I assume that they mean the spardeck, as the planksheer would be planks above that, but the instructions were somewhat confusing.

And @schooner, it looks like I am taking your advice: measure 4 times and cut once. 😄

[MrBlueJacket]

Of course you want an accurate hull, but remember - when the model is finished, no-one will be taking a ruler to it and saying "your hull is 1/16" too wide here"

 

Just sayin'

[Avi]

Yeah, that is a pretty fair point @MrBlueJacket. 😃

 

What are your thoughts on the questions above? I ended up starting to do the first problem as follows:

1. Put the template for C aligned (position fore vs aft) with the marking on the keel rabbet (I love saying that; it sounds like some fancy breed of animal)
2. Use a small level aligned with the horizontal line marked "base line to top of keel rabbet" on the template to get the template horizontal to the model but also the floor
3. take the same level and hold it vertically against the template to keep it stiffer and ensure it is precisely vertical to the floor
4. mark a small cross vertical with the template and horizontal with the template line WL10
5. Use the two marks - keel rabbet and WL10 to align the template C
6. Draw a line along the hull traced by the stiff template connecting those two points
7. Repeat on the other side

With that in place, I can use divider or calipers plus small level to make the intersection of WL10 and the next template (F), and use those two points to connect with the F mark on the keel rabbet. Rinse, wash, repeat. Slow but should work.

[KurtH]

I am following your progress with considerable interest.  In looking at the various builds of the BJ Constituion, I am fascinated by the resourcefulness, inventiveness and creativity I see in the solutions to this thorny problem.  It looks like there are as many solutions as there are builds.  All the best.

Kurt

[Avi]

Thanks @KHauptfuehrer It’s actually kind of hard to get it right, and I’d love to get some good ideas. If there are referenced build logs that have solved this, please do link them. 
 

what I really would like, but have no idea how to do it, would be a frame that held all of the templates in place, so I could adjust each one. I imagine whatever frame they built the original ship in was like that, but this is small scale. 
 

I’ve sort of backed off of my above approach, and am going to switch a bit. 
 

I am going to shape the hull profile first, which will allow the template to sit, then remark the stations on the keel rabbet, then mount it such that the rabbet is precisely parallel to the ground. 
 

Then I’ll use a pencil frame to mark the WL10/32 across the entire hull, and then do the widths. 
 

I will post my log here. 

[KurtH]

If you go to the home page and enter "Bluejacket Constitution" in the search field, all the Bluejacket Constitution build logs should come up.  Unfortunately, I did all that years before I even knew about MSW, so I am not all that specific on exactly how I did it.  As I recall, I was stumbling along in the dark and hoping for the best, not having had any prior experience.  I do recall making mockups of the transom fascia, and the the upper finishes and window pieces for the quarter galleries out of Bristol board and experimenting with them before attempting to actually assemble the stern.  That is how I discovered the problem with the stern profile that I described at the beginning of my build log.

Edited March 20, 2021 by KHauptfuehrer

[Avi]

This turned out to be a good call, both redoing the profile on Bristol board, and shaping the profile before getting to the templates. It shows some nice shape, and I have a solid plan for going forward. 
 

hand sander and dremel with a small drum turned out to be invaluable. This would have taken many hours by hand, especially the stern. Flat file, rat tail file and half round were really helpful.
 

Pics are attached. 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Avi