USS Constitution by Hipexec - FINISHED - Constructo - 1:82

[HIPEXEC]

I cut and fitted the lower sections of each mast, fore, main & mizzen. They fit very easily and wound up to be perpendicular and all lined up with minimum shimming. I marked them so they will be easily put back in the same place since I have to remove and install them many many times.

[HIPEXEC]

I am also slowly staining the hammocks so they will not be stark white.

[src]

Wow Rich,

That all looks great!! I am jealous. 

Sam

[Jack12477]

Rich

 

If you care to give your hammocks a more authentic ship's aroma, try soaking them in Hu-Kwa tea - a Formosan Lapsang Souchong Tea. "HU-KWA tea gains its distinctive flavor and smoky tang from the burning pine wood over which it is fired during the final drying process of the tea leaf."  A friend of mine and fellow modeller drinks only tea and calls Hu-Kwa the "Stockholm Tar tea" because of the aroma it produces during brewing. (did I hear "creosote"? :D ) It's one of his preferred teas

 

I've been thinking of trying on my rigging line to see what results I get (both color and aroma)

 

 By the way, it's pretty tasty also.

 

Jack

 

[robnbill]

The masts are perpendicular to the centerline, but are raked fore to aft.

[robnbill]

Here is what the Navy plans show for Mast Rake. I have also attached a PDF of the document because it is much easier to read.

Constitution Sail Plan.pdf

[GLakie]

I believe Bill is right about the aft rake. These plans I'm looking at are saying a 3 degree rake towards aft.

 

Cheers

George

[HIPEXEC]

Jack....thanks for the Hu-Kwa Tea!

[HIPEXEC]

Bill & George....thanks for aft rake info. 3 degrees is easy. Constructo plans show no rake? My main concern for perpendicularity is when looking fore and aft. I must make sure all masts are lined up and perpendicular to the eye when looking from the bow or stern..

[robnbill]

There is a pretty simple tool you can make for the side to side squareness. Take two wood strips and bolt them together an inch or so from one end. They should be loose enough they can open up like scissors. Cut the long ends to a point. Then you place the jig with the points down and to the inside sides of the deck behind the mast the rake it back so it rests in the V at the top. This ensures the mast is square to the sides.

 

The rake, according to the Navy plan is about 2.5 degrees ion the fore mast, 3 degrees on the main, and almost 4 degrees on the mizzen. If you look on the Navy Sail Plan they give the rake at the bottom in inches per foot.

[HIPEXEC]

I love simple tools! I don't think I can measure 1/2 of a degree though. I'll work on 3 degrees.

[HIPEXEC]

I stained the hammocks to give them a weathered look. Stark white didn't work for me. No sea going hammock is going to be stark white. Now they have a salty look.

[GuntherMT]

They look good Rich.

[HIPEXEC]

Well I'm going to attack this rigging problem caused by Constructo's poor instructions like the project of "how do you eat an elephant?"  I'll just start chewing on the toe!

 

I'm going to start by building the easy to build components and then make them  fit like a big jig saw puzzle.....I'll just see where and how everything fits together.  

[GuntherMT]

Other than having more plan sheets, it looks like their instructions/plans for the Constitution are pretty much the same as the ones I got for the Carmen, and when I hit the rigging there were two pages with a couple of pictures that pretty much said - complete the standing rigging with black rope, and the running rigging with tan rope according to the photos and plans.

 

So yea, it appears that Constructo doesn't go much for giving you any actual rigging instructions.

[HIPEXEC]

Brian....exactly....they give no dimensions or verbal nomenclature....just numbers that I have to search to see what they go to. Oh well.....nobody said it would be easy.

[GuntherMT]

Wait, you got numbers?  Haha..  the Carmen didn't even have that, just a single plan sheet that shows lines, although they do have little drawings of a few specific details for routing, but most of it I just had to look at pictures and try to figure out or guess at.

[robnbill]

Well you two have shown me that even with as poor of reputation as Mamoli has with instructions, they beat yours - at least on rigging it sounds like. Mamoli does have fairly detailed diagrams on where the rigging goes. I can't attest to the accuracy of it yet, but ask me again in 6 months.

[GLakie]

From the research I've done so far, it's almost impossible to get an accurate rigging plan on the Connie anyway. Even the MS plans that were drawn from every reliable source he could find doesn't provide a belaying plan with enough separate points to tie to. Instead, they recommend either doubling them up, or add belaying pins or cleats at the most logical place you can find. Probably because she's undergone so many changes over the years.

 

Cheers

George

[src]

Rich, We have a saying at work; "If it was easy, anybody could do it!" I am telling myself that repeatedly as I try to learn how to properly strop a block.....

I am starting to think Constructo kits exist solely for hose of us who are masochist!

She is looking great!

Sam

Edited October 4, 2014 by src

[robnbill]

From the research I've done so far, it's almost impossible to get an accurate rigging plan on the Connie anyway. Even the MS plans that were drawn from every reliable source he could find doesn't provide a belaying plan with enough separate points to tie to. Instead, they recommend either doubling them up, or add belaying pins or cleats at the most logical place you can find. Probably because she's undergone so many changes over the years.

 

Cheers

George

 

Have you looked at the AOS. While there are certainly detractors of this, it does have a belaying plan.

[captainbob]

Well I'm going to attack this rigging problem caused by Constructo's poor instructions like the project of "how do you eat an elephant?"  I'll just start chewing on the toe!

 

Yes, elephants, and rigging, can be overwhelming until you start chewing.

[GLakie]

The AOS for Constitution is on my list of things to get in the next few months Bill, but I have to think that Mr. Lankford must have tried to reference that when he drew up the plans for it. Inevitably, it will probably be one of those things that will be up to us to come up with a little artistic creativity for.

 

Fair Winds

Geo

[HIPEXEC]

In the long run...I'll probably thank Constructo for making my old brain work so hard...it'll fend off dementia or one of the other old people's problems...if they gave me detailed plans, I would just snip, snip, snip...finish it a wink. Now, I'm going to think of it as a fountain of youth!

[HIPEXEC]

By the way...all those plans you see piled up are mostly copies of Constructo's so I can put them in some kind of order. Constructo put them all on a just a few pieces of paper to maximize space. It also maximized confusion since I have to jump around use them since one part is here and another part is there and a third part is someplace else, but they're all supposed to make the same component. Oh well!

[captainbob]

In the long run...I'll probably thank Constructo for making my old brain work so hard...it'll fend off dementia or one of the other old people's problems...if they gave me detailed plans, I would just snip, snip, snip...finish it a wink. Now, I'm going to think of it as a fountain of youth!

 

Wow! I didn't know model ship building could make us younger.  I'm all for it.

 

Bob

[HIPEXEC]

In keeping with my tactics of building what is most easy first, I've started the platforms (I do not know the proper terminology and certainly Constructo doesn't say?) that go midway up each mast.

[robnbill]

On the Connie they were called "Fighting Tops". Here is a link to more info.

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/cft-nhhc.htm

 

Your ship is looking great.

[HIPEXEC]

Bill,

Thanks for the info on "Fighting Tops"

[HIPEXEC]

I've finished two out of three fighting top platforms. They still need supports and trim. The one on the right still has wet PVA. The one on the left has been sanded

Edited October 6, 2014 by Hipexec