USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76

[Der Alte Rentner]

I'm watching VERY closely.  I'm almost done with the furniture and fixtures on deck and the channels and chainplates are next on the agenda.

[mtbediz]

9 hours ago, Rick310 said:

Very nice!!

Rick

Thank you Rick.

[rturcic72]

Wow, I'm impressed with the craftsmanship...definitely first rate! And this is what separates the scratch builders from kit builders. We had to take the deadeyes and wrap wire around the deadeye and then solder that to the brass strips they placed in the kit.  This makes me wonder when someone sees the perfect scratch builder Conny versus kit builders, mostly using hand tools and imperfect, which one would appeal more to someone if they were in a museum and view both versions? I personally would lean towards the scratch build because it's still based on plans that are in scale just like kit builders. Making it as clean as yours brings in a lot of appeal.  The flip side to this I think is that there a folks out there that like the imperfect hand build because the real Conny is not symmetrically perfect and you can tell everything is still handmade on the ship to preserve its look.  I've had friends tell me how the ship looks awesome, but I always say none of it is perfect and point out the flaws in what I've done.  There are several areas I had to reconstruct or modify to make it work and make sure it looks like it's supposed to based on the plans.  I had to improvise a little recently because of the hooks and rigging for the carronades, but essentially accomplishes the task at hand.

[mtbediz]

7 hours ago, rturcic72 said:

Wow, I'm impressed with the craftsmanship...definitely first rate! And this is what separates the scratch builders from kit builders. We had to take the deadeyes and wrap wire around the deadeye and then solder that to the brass strips they placed in the kit.  This makes me wonder when someone sees the perfect scratch builder Conny versus kit builders, mostly using hand tools and imperfect, which one would appeal more to someone if they were in a museum and view both versions? I personally would lean towards the scratch build because it's still based on plans that are in scale just like kit builders. Making it as clean as yours brings in a lot of appeal.  The flip side to this I think is that there a folks out there that like the imperfect hand build because the real Conny is not symmetrically perfect and you can tell everything is still handmade on the ship to preserve its look.  I've had friends tell me how the ship looks awesome, but I always say none of it is perfect and point out the flaws in what I've done.  There are several areas I had to reconstruct or modify to make it work and make sure it looks like it's supposed to based on the plans.  I had to improvise a little recently because of the hooks and rigging for the carronades, but essentially accomplishes the task at hand.

When I first got into ship modeling, my initial two builds were kit based. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy them much, and at one point, I even considered giving up the hobby altogether. But while browsing through the build logs on this forum, I stumbled upon some incredible scratch built models. That discovery changed everything for me.
Inspired, I decided to try my hand at a relatively simple scratch build. I started by gathering the basic tools needed for scratch building and set out to see what I could create. To my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Working from scratch gave me a sense of freedom I hadn’t felt with kits I wasn’t confined by pre made parts or instructions.
As time went on, I gradually expanded my toolkit and began tackling more detailed projects. Of course, scratch building demands both time and patience, and having a dedicated workshop space is essential. But for me, the creative freedom and satisfaction it brings make it all worthwhile.

[rturcic72]

Literally amazing and impressive!

[mtbediz]

I gave up on making the chain plates from brass wire because I'm not very good at hammering 1mm thick brass wire into flat strips. The strips don't come out very smooth. Instead, I cut 1.5mm-wide strips from 0.4mm thick brass sheeting I had on hand. After cutting the strips and drilling the bolt holes, I chemically blackened them. I haven't decided yet whether to settle for blackening or paint them black as well. I mounted a deadeye onto the pre-made chain plate and mounted it in place as a test. I used some black 0.6mm diameter nails I had on hand. I haven't glued it in yet.

[JSGerson]

I suspect on the actual ship, these metal pieces were painted to protect the bare metal from corrosion. And looking at these pictures closely for the first time, because I haven't reach this stage yet, they are made of two pieces. We are making models, not miniature replicas so this probably won't matter. Just thought you might want to know.

 

Jon

[GGibson]

2 hours ago, mtbediz said:

...I cut 1.5mm-wide strips from 0.4mm thick brass sheeting I had on hand. After cutting the strips and drilling the bolt holes, I chemically blackened them. I haven't decided yet whether to settle for blackening or paint them black as well....

 

The chain plates are looking very good, Mustafa!  I am still learning and testing how to best use the blackening agent I have (I've used the Birchwood Brass Black solution in the past), but mine seems to always come out a bit "greyish" so I've hit it with a swipe of black paint, as well.

 

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

...looking at these pictures closely for the first time, because I haven't reach this stage yet, they are made of two pieces.

 

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Jon!  Very interesting!  Anyone know the reason why, where the chain plate pieces appear to break and the pins/bolts are inserted, some of the pins (looks like every other one?) have a ring inserted through them? A purpose?

 

Thanks, gentlemen!! 👍🏆

[Unegawahya]

3 hours ago, mtbediz said:

I gave up on making the chain plates from brass wire because I'm not very good at hammering 1mm thick brass wire into flat strips. The strips don't come out very smooth. Instead, I cut 1.5mm-wide strips from 0.4mm thick brass sheeting I had on hand. After cutting the strips and drilling the bolt holes, I chemically blackened them. I haven't decided yet whether to settle for blackening or paint them black as well. I mounted a deadeye onto the pre-made chain plate and mounted it in place as a test. I used some black 0.6mm diameter nails I had on hand. I haven't glued it in yet.

If you don’t mind me asking, how are you cutting your brass into strips. I’m going to need more and I can’t seem to find anyone that sells them.

 

Your build is looking wonderful!

[mtbediz]

4 hours ago, Unegawahya said:

If you don’t mind me asking, how are you cutting your brass into strips. I’m going to need more and I can’t seem to find anyone that sells them.

 

Your build is looking wonderful!

Hi Thomas. First, I make a deep mark along the line I’m going to cut using a steel ruler and a sharp knife, and then I cut along that mark with sheet metal shears. This mark prevents the shears from slipping sideways.

Edited 8 hours ago by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

6 hours ago, JSGerson said:

And looking at these pictures closely for the first time, because I haven't reach this stage yet, they are made of two pieces. We are making models, not miniature replicas so this probably won't matter. Just thought you might want to know.

Thanks for sharing these pictures, Jon. Yes, I knew that the chain plates are made in two parts, but I chose to make them as a single piece. If I were building this model for a competition, I would have followed the real-life design. But in the end, this model will just sit in a corner of my living room, waiting to be looked at and the people who’ll look at it will definitely not be experts in sailing warships anyway.

[Unegawahya]

1 hour ago, mtbediz said:

Hi Thomas. First, I make a deep mark along the line I’m going to cut using a steel ruler and a sharp knife, and then I cut along that mark with sheet metal shears. This mark prevents the shears from slipping sideways.

Thank you! Scoring the brass before hand must be what I was missing. 

[GGibson]

2 hours ago, mtbediz said:

...and the people who’ll look at it will definitely not be experts in sailing warships anyway.

 

Well, unless we all come to Turkey to visit, Mustafa! 🤷‍♂️🤣

 

I'm still curious about the purpose of every other chain plate pin having a ring...  Hmmm...

 

I think you have told us before about your process of scoring the brass and then using the sheet metal shears, but thank you for the reminder, sir! 

[Dr PR]

Gregg,

 

I would guess the rings are places to tie up boats, barges, or whatever happens to be alongside.

[mtbediz]

4 hours ago, GGibson said:

 

Well, unless we all come to Turkey to visit, Mustafa! 🤷‍♂️🤣

 

I'm still curious about the purpose of every other chain plate pin having a ring...  Hmmm...

 

I think you have told us before about your process of scoring the brass and then using the sheet metal shears, but thank you for the reminder, sir! 

I'd be very happy if you visited me, you're always welcome. As for the rings, I really don't have any idea about their purpose.