USS Constitution by mtbediz - 1:76

[mtbediz]

15 minutes ago, GGibson said:

Great work, Mustafa!  You continue to inspire us all.  In that first picture, how did you tie off that gammoning in such a tight spot?!? Nice detail, sir!

Thanks Greg. I deliberately held off installing the gratings at the bow until now, just to make it easier to secure the gammoning. Without the gratings in place, tying it wasn’t difficult at all. I’d recommend you do the same, it saves a lot of trouble.

[Der Alte Rentner]

I'll chime in along with Jon and Gregg - truly inspiring work, Mustafa!  

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 1/30/2026 at 3:27 PM, mtbediz said:

Thanks Greg. I deliberately held off installing the gratings at the bow until now, just to make it easier to secure the gammoning. Without the gratings in place, tying it wasn’t difficult at all. I’d recommend you do the same, it saves a lot of trouble.

Ha! I wish I'd gotten that advice some months ago. Oh well, what's a little more trouble at this point? 😁

[mtbediz]

2 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Oh well, what's a little more trouble at this point? 😁

Don't worry Peter, I might have gone a bit overboard 😁 With the gratings in place, tying the Gammoning knot won’t be easy, and wrapping it around the bowsprit will be tricky too. It could also make the bumkins installation a bit of a headache.

Edited Sunday at 01:42 AM by mtbediz

[mtbediz]

Spent about two hours today on the bowsprit cap. Rather than fussing with an angled square hole, I just built it up from two pieces and glued them together.

Edited Sunday at 08:07 PM by mtbediz

[JSGerson]

That worked beautifully! Looks just like the real thing. Here are some addition images for the next steps.

 

Jon

[GGibson]

5 hours ago, mtbediz said:

Rather than fussing with an angled square hole, I just built it up from two pieces and glued them together.

 

What a great solution, Mustafa!  It looks great!  Another tidbit I need to remember.  🏆

 

4 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Here are some addition images for the next steps.

 

And, of course, Jon has all of the historical pictures! 👍🏆

 

Wow!  I knew this end of the bowsprit around the martingale was busy but wasn't fully aware of all of the features.  Anxious to see how each of you complete this! 

[mtbediz]

6 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Here are some addition images for the next steps.

Thank you very much for the photos, Jon. They are wonderful and very helpful to me. Do you have a photo in your archive showing how the flying jibboom is connected to the cap? Thanks again.

[mtbediz]

1 hour ago, GGibson said:

What a great solution, Mustafa!  It looks great!  Another tidbit I need to remember.

Thanks, Greg. A modeler wrote in his build log that he couldn’t use the laser‑cut cap provided in the kit because it wasn’t the correct size, and that he had to make it from scratch. If that’s true, when the time comes you can also easily make the cap using this method.

[kgstakes]

On 12/17/2024 at 11:56 AM, mtbediz said:

Actually, I'm not very happy with the result. I'm looking for ways to do it better. Is there a router bit you can recommend?

 

I’m late to the party but maybe a Roman ogree router bit would work

 

 

Adjust your depth and it might work for you.

[mtbediz]

10 hours ago, kgstakes said:

 

I’m late to the party but maybe a Roman ogree router bit would work

 

 

Adjust your depth and it might work for you.

Thank you.

[JSGerson]

Quote

Do you have a photo in your archive showing how the flying jibboom is connected to the cap?

Do these help? 

10016004 - Bowsprit & Head Spars.pdf

[GGibson]

Jon is beginning to convince me that I need to make another trip to Boston!  Great pictures, Jon!  The day I was there last September, as I think I have mentioned before, was a damp, misty day and a lot of the spar deck was covered, and I just didn't take all the pictures I could have.  ROAD TRIP!! 🤷‍♂️👍

[JSGerson]

Gregg, the last time I visited the ship was just before her last restoration in 2015 when I made my yearly visit to my sister in Connecticut for Thanksgiving. The ship was mostly buttoned up being prepared for the upcoming work, stuff covered, and yard arms already removed. Now, 11 years since that visit and 9 years since the major work was completed, it is still is not fully restored to its full glory. The yard arms are still not installed and rigged, let alone with sails. I grew up in the Boston area till the late 1970s and I played tourist in my own backyard exploring Boston. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to walk around my old stomping grounds and enjoy all the city has to offer.

 

My collection of pictures and plans come from many sources over the years. I started collecting USS Constitution material when I made the decision to build the model of her around 2014 while still building the Rattlesnake. So, if you go on your ROAD TRIP and take pictures, lots of pictures like I hope you will. When you post them, I'll add them to my collection like I did with your last batch.

 

Jon

[mtbediz]

5 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Do these help? 

As always, you've come back with far more material than I expected, Jon. Thank you so much for your efforts. The photos and plans will be very helpful during my construction. 🙏

[JSGerson]

Glad to be of help