USS Constitution by AndyMech - FINISHED - Mamoli - Scale 1:93 - Cross-Section

[AndyMech]

Thanks for the ideas everyone - I guess the Admiral has a Christmas list for me after all.

 

Seriously, I'm happy to know there isn't just some "obvious" technique that everyone just failed to mention, you know, because it was so obvious.  

 

Andy.

[AntonyUK]

Hi Andy.

 

You have made a nice job on this kit.

Yes keep messureing many times. It works.

I have not seen this kit before

keep posting and Ile keep watching.

 

Regards Antony.

[fabius.b]

You guys are right - it is somewhat satisfying to spend forever on a detail that may eventually be totally hidden.  At least I know it was done with care, if a little inefficiently.  No matter, at least it got done.  

 

It helps me a lot to set realistic goals for the day.  Sunday was good - I achieved installing the deck supports and the mast framing.

 

Next goal - cut and and properly the 4 support stanchions for the lower deck.  This will be tricky (for me) as the neither end is square since both the bottom and top are curved surfaces, yet I want the stanchions to be perfectly vertical.  If anyone has tips on ensuring a vertical stanchion, I'm all ears.  Much less making 4 line up with each other in the vertices of a rectangle.

 

Andy

Probably the problem can be solved by plywood-profile, cutted on the ship drawings . If you see the drawing plans, you have the right inclination of the inner side of the ship. You can cut a plywood-profile, with one side on the middle vertical line of the ship, the base on the floor of the ship, the external profile on the stanchions, and the ceiling such as upper side. When you have this profile, you can adjust it in the center line, and support the stanchions on the external side of the profile.

Edited October 30, 2013 by fabius.b

[AndyMech]

Hey, I plan on planking the rest of the lower deck this weekend, and have a question.  I've framed out the mast location as you can see in some previous photos - leaving a square 8mm location for the mast.  When I plank it, however, I like the result to be a circular hole in the planks.

 

What's the best way to lay the planks so my end result is a circular mast hole?  Do I pre-carve the opening in each plank as it goes in, somewhat small and sand it to size?  Do I fully cover the area and then drill out where the hole should reside?  I'm concerned about losing the location if I fully cover it.

 

Andy.

[AndyMech]

Oh, and one other question:  I plan on using wipe on poly on the deck after it's planked.  Should I wait until the deck furniture is glued to it before applying it or will the glue work after WOP is put on?

 

I suspect the glue won't work, but wanted other opinions.

 

Andy.

[lambsbk]

Andy:

 

I think Wes just did something in this regard but I don't know how he did it. Here is a link: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2862-usf-constitution-by-cookster-kitbashed-to-1812-model-shipways/page-10

[AndyMech]

So, I was solved the issue of making the mast hole.  Before planking the rest of the deck, I made a paper template of where the mast should go in relation to the hatch.  After the planking, I placed the template back on the deck, and used a pencil to mark the location of the hole.  Using my pin vise, I drilled a bunch of holes, removed the majority of wood and sanded to fit.

 

(It has the word "good" on it because the first one was off a little bit, so I marked the good one)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[augie]

Good thinking and nice job getting that mast hole in.  Next time you have a good 'thing' and a bad one, throw out the bad one ASAP.  Don't ask why I advise this  

[AndyMech]

You make a good point, Augie. I don't know why I saved it - probably for the same reason I save all but the tiniest splinters of wood from this kit. I'm not generally a hoarder, so it's a mystery to me.

 

Looking ahead in the kit, I noticed I have to build a little table soon, which needs 4 legs. These are provided in the kit as 4 6mm curved supports. The top deck pinrail also uses these same shaped legs, but are supposed to be 8mm tall. Looking through the kit, I find about 15 6mm supports, and zero 8mm ones. Has anyone else found this issue with this kit? Any thoughts on how to build the pinrail then? I don't have tools to make my own curved supports. One thought would be to glue something to the 6mm ones to make them taller, but that may just look weird. Or I just use them at the shorter height, I guess.

 

6mm at 1:93 scale is about 55cm or 21 inches.

8mm is 77cm or 29 inches.

 

What would be the height of the pinrail on the real ship?

 

Andy

[cookster]

Hey Andy, just accidentally found your build...  Looking good!  That scale will be quite the challenge.   

 

As far as your mast hole question, I glued up sections of planks, then cut the hole out for the mast, glued that section down, glued up another section, cut the hole, etc etc.  Sounds confusing, but look at the pics and it will make sense. Doesn't mean this is the best way to do it though....

 

I thought of your method (which worked well for you) but my anal retentive engineer mind was too chicken to try it.  My masts were already mortised into the bulkhead so no wiggle room.  Plus, they're raked and there's no way I was gonna file that angle in by hand, in an (almost) perfect circle, in the exact center point AND hit the mortise perfectly.  

 

Looks like you did it though, great job!

 

Augie, guess what I use for a miter-box?  The same one you have     

[AndyMech]

Hi Wes, 

 

Thanks for the tip -- I did look at your log before doing mine, but I didn't quite get how you did it, so thanks for the explanation.  If I understand you correctly, you glued some planks edge-to-edge and probably longer than you needed, then cut out the semi-circle to fit the mast?  Then, when the section is fitted, you can sand the ends to fit?

 

I should try that on the next deck perhaps - I have two more decks to plank, so a different technique for all, eh?  The next deck will have no obvious reference point, and the center is planked with different sized wood than the ends, your technique will probably work better.

 

I really need to get one of those true sanders - my current method just isn't getting stuff true.  And it will only get worse if I have 3cm of edge to true up.

 

Andy.

[cookster]

Andy, I started my planks at the front where the steps are, glued several planks together ran long, then trimmed to length, used the true sander to true them up, and glued them in place using the steps to positively locate the planks.  Then a hatch went in next (not glued though).  The next section of planks was glued up to only cover half the mast hole.  I glued them together long and trued up one end, placed the hatch in place, placed the planks down, got the needed length to the next hatch, cut them and then trued up.  

Then I marked where the mast hole would be and used a #11 blade to carefully carve away the hole until the fit was just right.  Glued together 3 more planks to that section, trimmed and trued, then cut the second half of the hole.  

 

Looking back at my pics I could've added a few more to better show what I did.  I'll try to do that when I get to the main mast.

Hope that helps!

 

Oh, the true sander is "da bomb"....   Err, did I really just use that term?    

[AndyMech]

That's a great explanation - and I went back to look at your log and I understand better how you did it.  My mast was mortised as well, but using the template in combination with starting the hole a little small worked well for me.  I also found (but didn't photograph) a plastic circle template of exactly the right size to help make the hole a perfect circle, which I could not do free-hand.

 

Your technique of doing half at time is nice as the mortise can still be seen to make sure all is being lined up - that's a nice benefit.

 

Thanks again,

 

Andy.

[augie]

Wes-  Yes, it's a great little miter thingy      I've had mine so many years it's time for a new blade!

[AndyMech]

I'll bite - which one is that (looking for tools!)?

 

Andy.

[cookster]

It's this one Augie posted the link to.

 

http://www.micromark...-rite,6453.html

 

It's not the sturdiest as Augie said, but it works for what we model ship builders do.  I'd still like to have a miniature power miter saw, but the Jim Saw, a mill, and other stuff comes first.  This gets the job done for now...

 

TIP:  There is no positive locking mechanism on any of the angles, so you have to use the protractor gauge on top to get the angle needed.  I ALWAYS use a square to set the 90 degree setting whenever moving it away to some angle, then back to 90.  If there are any other angles you always use (45,22.5, whatever) you can make blocks to use to set those angles as well.

 

"Your technique of doing half at time is nice as the mortise can still be seen to make sure all is being lined up - that's a nice benefit."

Yep.....

Edited November 7, 2013 by cookster

[JPett]

Ahoy Andy

 

I have had very good luck with the Zona brand saws and their miter box.

 

http://www.zonatool.net/35-550.html

 

http://www.zonatool.net/37-240.html

 

There is a package that includes both a saw and miter box but it is the 24t blade. I find the 42t blade works best for our needs.

 

I just position a piece of wood between the wood and the miter box wall to get any angle I need. Always cut on top of another pieces of wood too.

Edited November 7, 2013 by JPett

[AndyMech]

Thanks for the tool links guys.  I must have missed that post from Augie (even did a search before I asked the question).  Very useful to me, as I have none of this stuff and struggle to get nice cuts.  Combining these miter ideas with the true sander sounds like it'll make my life easier for not much expense.

 

I've got an on-going bookmark folder of tool links which makes it easy to hint, hint to anyone at home willing to buy my Christmas gifts. 

 

Andy

[AndyMech]

I just went back and found the link from Augie that you mentioned.  In my OWN BUILD LOG!  I need to really start paying closer attention.  

 

I do appreciate the advice and tips - like putting a piece a wood below the one I'm cutting - no advice is too obvious for me.  Total neophyte.

 

Andy.

[cookster]

That's OK Andy....  We all have "brain fart" moments...

 

As for the Christmas gifts, I would suggest *accidentally* leaving a wish list in obvious places so your gift givers will see them.  With of course parts #s, web sites, pricing etc.  Don't want to leave any detail to chance! 

[AndyMech]

Ok, the next steps for me on the build are to prepare the furniture for the 1st deck.  That includes a table, 3 chests, 3 barrels with supports and 6 upright barrels.  I build the table first, painted the barrel hoops black and then did the chests.

 

The hinges for the chests should be black, of course, so instead of painting the metal, I figured I would try blackening them.  I found some Birchwood-Case gun blue at a local gunshop.  I know it's for bluing steel, but I figured I would try it as it's the only stuff I could locally and didn't want to wait for an Amazom shipment.

 

It's ok stuff, but I wonder if their brass black or Blacken-It would work better?  I soaked each hinge in some white vinegar for 10-15 minutes first, then about 20-30 minutes in the blacken solution, undiluted.  These corrosive bits came off it (photo), so I wonder if it was cleaned properly, or that's just how it works?

 

Finally, I applied 2 coats of wipe-on-poly on the deck planking prior to gluing all these on.  I'm now waiting for the poly to dry before I install everything.  Any thoughts on glue, since I've treated the deck with poly?  Wood glue ok or should I use CA instead?

 

The table caught the sun just right last week:

 

My blackening purchase:

 

In the bath:

 

Final hinges on their chests:

 

The assortment of stuff to glue on:

 

Andy.

 

 

[lambsbk]

Nice furniture Andy. Did you turn the barrels? They look nice on their chocks - the lockers look too. What are the hinges made of?

[Geoff Matson]

Furniture looks great. I use the Birchwood Casey, but I use the Blacked It and also soak it in white Vinegar and then use an old toothbrush to help clean it and have had great results.

[AndyMech]

Hi Dave,

 

No, the barrels are part of the kit and came "pre-formed".  All I did was paint the two hoops black for some contrast.  The chocks I had to make from a strip of 1x4mm walnut - I sanded out the circumference, added a slight bevel and glued them in.

 

The hinges are a soft, white metal - I assume it's zinc?  I've heard it referred to as "white metal" too.  I had to snip the ends off and file it, and it's very, very soft.

 

Geoff, as for the blacken it - well, "blue" in my case, perhaps a scrubbing after the vinegar would have helped.  I did scrub the rust colored stuff off with a toothbrush and re-soaked a couple of the pieces.  I think the cleaning process was the culprit.  If not, I will order some Blacken-It and see if that improves.

 

The hinges were nice to experiment on as I can always touch up with black paint and they're not too visible once installed on the lower deck.

 

Andy.

[augie]

I've noticed with Blacken It that, if you use it full strength, you (I) get some flaking.  They recommend diluting it.  I tried that.  It takes longer but gives less of the flaking.

 

I can't tell from the photo (nice table by the way) the size you're dealing with.  CA will hold to poly if there is no stress involved.  Of course piercing the poly with a sharp needle will allow the CA to penetrate and it will hold better still.  If you really need strength, and the item is not too small, pin it with something like 28 gauge wire, then glue.

[AndyMech]

The table and chests will just rest on the deck, so there should be no stress involved.  I was thinking of trying to use the same Titebond I use for everything else, just to avoid CA if possible, but wondered about it's adherence to the poly-coated deck.  I put on two very thin applications of the poly, and can hardly tell it's there, except for the richer color of the planks.  Do you think piercing the location and using PVA will work too?

 

The table, for reference is about 18mm long, and it's legs are about 2mm in diameter.  Very small indeed.

 

Oh, and thanks for the advice on the blacken - I've read about diluting, so maybe that will fix the flaking I've been seeing.

 

Andy.

[lambsbk]

I've used the Blacken It several times and I think the flaking issue comes from uneven distribution. In a solution you would not expect this problem but the reaction of the chemicals with the metal causes them to form gas bubbles locally on the metal. They are small but prevent the metal from having the even distribution by blocking the solution at small levels. I have had some success at correcting this problem by removing the metal for a few seconds mid-wash and then re-immersing the metal until the desired effect. The metal has to be thoroughly rinsed and dried when complete. Re-rinsing and drying 24 hours after treatment does not hurt to remove resistant residues as well. I hope that helps.   

[augie]

I like that observation, Dave.  Never thought of the reaction localizing due to bubbles.  Make sense. 

 

Andy --- a hole or 3 poked will work as well with PVA.  It's just a matter of penetration.

[AndyMech]

I got the furniture on deck one glued on - a combination of PVA with poked holes for the wood stuff and CA for the metal buckets.

 

 

 

I also put in the gun deck supports and mortised the mast hole.  Next up will be to plank this deck.

 

 

Andy.

[augie]

Really nice Andy.  I'm tempted to start dancing to 'Yo, ho,ho and a dead man's chest'.