USS Constitution by KurtH - FINISHED - BlueJacket Shipcrafters - 1/96 - First wood model kit

[KurtH]

Working on the topsail yard trusses.  The instructions have an illustration of how to do the parrels, which is standard for most of the builds I have seen.  However, when I saw a photo of the parrels on the actual ship, I realized how much smaller they are in comparison with what is shown in the drawing:

 

 

 

I immediately saw that the tools and skills that I have are in no way equal to the task of making these parrels in scale  Looking in the Marquardt AOS, I saw an alternative called the Leather Truss Parrel:

 

 

  I got the suggestion to use plumbing tape to use to simulate the leather jacket from another member of MSW.  Who that was was lost along with my build log when I accidentally deleted it.  My thanks to whoever it was.  It worked well.  This is my first attempt, so hopefully I'll get better at it in the future.

 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by KHauptfuehrer

[KurtH]

Crossing and rigging the topsail yards:

 

1. Fore topsail yard tye arrangement according to the Marquardt AOS.  Main tye is similar.

2. Main topsail yard tye and halyard arrangement.  The fore topsail yard tye and halyard are similar.   The halyard is rigged according to BJ rigging plan and instructions, which are similar to the Marquardt.

3. Mizzzen topsail yard tye according to the Marquardt.

 

Here are views of my progress crossing and rigging the yards so far, including topsail yard lifts, which reflect the current rigging on the ship.  I noticed in the photos that this rope is heavier than the rope used in

the other lifts, so I used .018" rope instead of the .012" size specified in the instructions for the topsail yard lifts.

 

The tangle of lines on the deck are very long tails left in order to later adjust the tension in the running rigging

Onward and upward.  I have rigged the t'gallant yard footropes, and will proceed with the trusses, tyes, halyards, and lifts shortly.  I am still trying to decide whether to rig the braces before or after finalizing the backstays.

I am not sure to what extent the backstays will obstruct the installation of the rope coils.  Keith Julier in his book "Period Ship, a Kit Builder's Maual"  suggests leaving the backstays until last.  Ideas, anyone?

 

[SteveLarsen]

Superb.  Really enjoying your posts and model.

[KurtH]

Thanks Steve!

[Dziadeczek]

On 8/13/2022 at 7:09 PM, KHauptfuehrer said:

Working on the topsail yard trusses.  The instructions have an illustration of how to do the parrels, which is standard for most of the builds I have seen.  However, when I saw a photo of the parrels on the actual ship, I realized how much smaller they are in comparison with what is shown in the drawing:

 

 

You might be able to find appropriate size and color beads for your parrels in stores like Joann's or Michaels, or even dedicated beads stores (not to mention internet).

Are you sure it is your first model?

Thomas

 

[KurtH]

Thanks Thomas.  I have looked in the stores you mentioned, and have a collection of different beads.   I am sure, however, that there are beads somewhere that have escaped my notice.  It is not just the trucks that are a problem.  I do not have the tools or skills to make ribs that small.   Anyway, I have already done the leather clad truss parrels described in the Marquardt.  As a teenager,I did some Revell plastic kits of ships (Cutty Sark, Thermopylae, Santa Maria).  This is my first wood ship kit build.

Edited August 28, 2022 by KHauptfuehrer

[KurtH]

T'gallant yards crossed.  Lifts, jeers, and halyards rigged.  Coiled rope on the mizzen t'gallant yard will be braces.  Slack in the upper stays is, I hope, temporary.

 

[KurtH]

Spanker gaff and boom installed and rigged.

 

Flag line to be rigged later.

 

[KurtH]

All the spars installed, and lifts and halyards rigged.

 

The side view shows the halyard tackles a bit better.

Now to work on finalizing the backstays and rigging the braces (not necessarily in that order).  First, I will need to install any blocks that I have not already attached.

 

[KurtH]

Sprits'l yard braces and foremast yard braces in place.  Obviously, a lot of tensioning and retensioning has yet to be done.  I thought I had that done on the upper stays, but nope.  Oh well, good thing I have debonder on hand.  Braces can  droop, but I will wait until they are all in place, and the backstays are finalized before I try to get it all right.  Topmast and t'gallant mast backstays reconnected.  My missing the mark on the upper fore and aft stays made me delay finalizing them.

 

I can't believe how hard it is to belay lines.  I do not remember its being anywhere near this hard when doing my plastic ship models as a kid.

[KurtH]

Work is proceeding on the braces.  Progress is slow on account of my lack of experience.  As the photo in my last post shows, the upper fore and aft stays were sagging.  When I loosened the braces and reattached the backstays, that sag went away.  I re-tensioned the braces aloft using glue because I could not control the tension precisely enough at the belaying point.  In order not to loosen the upper stays, I had to bring the tension on the braces up just enough to get a straight line.  If they sag later, no problem.  On the real ship, they sag a lot anyway.  Using Syren rope was a good idea, because they will sag very nicely.  So far, I have belayed only the foremast braces.  I photographed my progress against a dark background this time in order to make the running rigging stand out more.  The appear white, but they are actually the same color as in the previous posts.  Unfortunately, the posting process has introduced some pixelization.  The lines look a lot better on my computer.

 

A view of the main and mizzen braces.  The main brace will be installed after the quarter boats are in place.

 

 

 

 

I just sent these two photos to a friend.  I wish the image quality was as good here at it is in my email.  Oh well...

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by KHauptfuehrer

[Treebeard]

A beautiful Job!  Wonderful to behold

Guy

[KurtH]

Thank you so very much Guy!

[KurtH]

A word to neophytes like me who are working on the BJ Constitution:

 

When installing the cap rail you might consider making the inboard edge flush with the inner bulwark planking rather than overhanging it as I did.   This will enable you to install the pin rails so that the tops of the pins are at or very near the level of the upper surface of the cap rail.  As a result, there can be more space between the bottom ends of the pins and the slide tackles of the carronades.  There can also be more space between the upper part of the pins and the bulwark, making the looping of line over the top a lot easier when belaying.  I repost the photo of the pin rail installation to illustrate this:

 

I have found that any restriction to access to the pins is a good way to end up in a padded cell.

 

I am very glad to have snagged all the lines on the pins except the falls of the quarter boat topping lifts.  I do not mind admitting that doing these nullified any chance of my getting the "Spock Award" for emotional control.

[Bill Morrison]

On 10/21/2022 at 12:31 AM, KHauptfuehrer said:

Sprits'l yard braces and foremast yard braces in place.  Obviously, a lot of tensioning and retensioning has yet to be done.  I thought I had that done on the upper stays, but nope.  Oh well, good thing I have debonder on hand.  Braces can  droop, but I will wait until they are all in place, and the backstays are finalized before I try to get it all right.  Topmast and t'gallant mast backstays reconnected.  My missing the mark on the upper fore and aft stays made me delay finalizing them.

 

I can't believe how hard it is to belay lines.  I do not remember its being anywhere near this hard when doing my plastic ship models as a kid.

The rigging of plas5ic versus wood ship kits is the same. only the material and complexity of the model is different, which might affect the methos used.

Bill

 

[RossR]

Your model looks very good for a first wooden model.  Very clean work.  I am building my first wooden model right now, and I am happy with the results, but my work is not as precise as yours.  Very nice model.  

[KurtH]

Thank you RossR for your kind words.  They are much appreciated.

[KurtH]

My first attempts at rope hanks.  It will not set MSW on fire, but since I have never done this before, I could not resist posting it.

 

Many more to do, but now at least I have some idea how I can do it.  Hanks on the bulwark pin rails will need to be about half this size for reasons shown in my last post.

[KurtH]

More rope hanks:

Now to do the itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny coils on the bulwark pin rails.

[KurtH]

Current state of play as of now.  Time to put it aside while I work on video post, and pursue Xmas activities.  Running rigging is finalized except for the main braces, and the vangs, which will be finalized when the quarter boats are installed and their topping lifts rigged.  Also more rope hanks to do yet.

 

I expect to resume work early in January.  Heading into the home stretch!

[KurtH]

I have made up and installed the afore mentioned itsy-bitsy rope coils on the bulwark pinrails.

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by KHauptfuehrer

[CiscoH]

rope coils look great!  I struggle with them at any scale; yours look very realistic

[KurtH]

Thank you so much!

[KurtH]

Remaining coils installed on the spider ring.

Quarter davit topping lift tackles rigged.

[KurtH]

Working on the installation of the quarter boats and their davits.   The gripe straps attach to the channel.  The manner in which this is done is not given in the instructions, nor was I able to find a photo of the ship that shows that detail.  Once again, I went to Xken's Connie build and found exactly what I was looking for.  My first step was to make up and install a ring on the channel:

Next will be the installation of the davits.

 

[KurtH]

Permanent installation of the starboard quarter davits:

1. Gluing the gripe spar  to the davits.

2. Davits with gripe spar in place.  Topping lift to be finalized when the boats are hung and the angle of the davits is set.  Davits installed perpendicular to the water line.  Gripe spar installed parallel to the 

    water line.  This was an accident, but now that I think about it, it makes sense.  In any case it is too late to change it now.

 

Quarter boats' current state of play:

Boats to be hung parallel to the water line.  I notice in photos of the ship from 1991, 1997, and since the last refit that the starboard boat is white and the port boat is green.  I will do the same.

 

[KurtH]

Quarter boats ready to be hung on their davits:

White areas on the stem and sternpost of the green boat are blown out highlights, not places I missed.

[KurtH]

Quarter boats in place.  They are not glued in yet, because I may want to adjust their height, or perhaps remove them altogether when I attempt to attach the gripes to the channel.

Being inexperienced at the sort of thing, I am grappling with issues such as the material to use for the gripes, and the size of rings to employ at their ends.  If I am successful at making these, I will want to keep the boats as is, which is how they are currently on the real ship.  The main brace will then pass outboard of the boats contacting them as in this photo:

 

If I am not successful at making the gripes to scale and making them look good, I will omit them.  When I checked the BJ builds of the model in their catalog and on their website (each different from the other), and the photo of Larry Arnot's build on the cover of the instruction manual, I saw that the gripes are absent.  Therefore, I see this omission as a viable option.  The boats are suspended lower in these examples, and the main brace passes over them.  In another build, I saw the main brace passing inboard of the boats, but I do not see that as an option on my model.

I have ordered brass split rings (2mm) and some black construction paper with which to make the gripes.  In the meantime, I will see about installing the foretack boomkins.   I have made them up, but I am not sure whether or not they will integrate well with the bowsprit rigging, or whether I can make the angles at which they stick out match.  The port and starboard bowheads are close to being a match but not exact.  If the boomkins look ridiculous, I will omit them as well.  This is also a viable option, as they are not mentioned in the instructions, and do not appear in the BJ builds.

[KurtH]

While waiting for the split rings that I ordered from Model Expo to arrive, I finalized the bowhead.  Seats of ease  and "canvas" (card stock) covering were permanently glued in.  Fore tack boomkins were installed and rigged.

 

Once the quarter boats have been finalized, all that will remain will be the anchors, the main braces, and, if I an pull it off, a new mahogany cradle to match the base board.

[KurtH]

Port anchor in place.   I used the anchors from the Revell model because they look more like the ones illustrated in the Marquardt AOS.  Yeah I know that it should be made fast to the channel,  but as the cathead and channel are so far apart, and there are no exposed timber heads to which to tie it,  I decided to hang it instead.  On the other hand, I have seen some very fine models on MSW in which that option was used.

 

I'll do the starboard anchor tomorrow.

Edited February 11, 2023 by KHauptfuehrer