USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76

[GGibson]

5 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

...I finally switched to boxwood, and I lost two of those in the drilling pass as well.  But in the end, I got it done.

 

Sounds like boxwood is the way to go for these smaller parts.  I really haven't had the "need" to have any boxwood for previous builds, but from all of your build logs I am reading, I purchased a small supply of boxwood for my Constitution from Joe at Modeler's Sawmill.  got a few 1/32" & 1/16" thick sheets, as well as some strips for deck planking.

 

Not sure if I saw this explained previously, Peter, so sorry for asking again if I missed it.  When you cut and drilled these gunport lids, did you initially drill the holes from long strips and then cut the lids to size, or did you cut to size, then drill the necessary holes?  Do you cut the holes with some waste wood behind the pieces being cut?  Always interested in others' processes...

 

Happy 4th!  USA, USA!! 

Edited July 4 by GGibson

[mtbediz]

8 hours ago, GGibson said:

Not sure if I saw this explained previously, Peter, so sorry for asking again if I missed it.  When you cut and drilled these gunport lids, did you initially drill the holes from long strips and then cut the lids to size, or did you cut to size, then drill the necessary holes? 

Drilling first and then cutting usually gives better results and reduces scrap. That's how I usually do it."

Edited July 5 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

6 hours ago, mtbediz said:

Drilling first and then cutting usually gives better results and reduces scrap. That's how I usually do it."

Sadly no. I cut the holes after I fabricated the rectangular pieces. Lesson learned. Thank you.

 

And Gregg, you're wise to use anything other than Basswood on the Constitution. I've used almost none of it after I did the hull. And in retrospect I wish I'd known to do it for the hull.

Edited July 5 by Der Alte Rentner

[mtbediz]

3 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Sadly no. I cut the holes after I fabricated the rectangular pieces. Lesson learned. Thank you.

Let me also point this out, I cut the pieces a little larger and do fine tuning with sanding machine. 

Edited July 5 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 7/4/2025 at 4:20 PM, GGibson said:

Do you cut the holes with some waste wood behind the pieces being cut?  Always interested in others' processes...

Sorry, I forgot to answer this in my last reply. Yes, indeed, I put waste wood behind the pieces being cut. Unfortunately the drill itself catches  on the Basswood and sucks it up.  Note: I had no problem with the one 1/16" drill. It's the 3/16" drill for center hole that proved problematic.  Rookie mistake?  

 

This was not quite the same problem with the boxwood. In that case the grain of the boxwood split as I was drilling that Center hole. Part of the problem with the basswood is that I took the 3/32" material that the gunport lids came from to try to make the replacement pieces first. 

 

I've made this point several times in the past, but I'll double down on it now. The materials that come with this kit are abysmal. Had I known that at the onset, I would have replaced everything with boxwood on day one. Or chosen contrasting hardwoods to achieve the finish that I'm hoping for.   

Edited July 7 by Der Alte Rentner

[mtbediz]

Peter, when drilling soft and thin woods before, turning the drill in the opposite direction helped me drill without splitting the wood. This information may come in handy in the future.

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, mtbediz said:

...turning the drill in the opposite direction helped me drill without splitting the wood...

 

This is interesting, Mustafa.  And, I assume, using a hand-held pin vise?  I don't think my Proxxon has a reverse gear! 🤷‍♂️😅

[mtbediz]

8 hours ago, GGibson said:

 

This is interesting, Mustafa.  And, I assume, using a hand-held pin vise?  I don't think my Proxxon has a reverse gear! 🤷‍♂️😅

Greg, I have a reversible hand drill like in the photo. I use it when necessary.

 

 

Edited July 6 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

Finally finished the starboard side gun port lids. Two coats of poly already applied, but I'll add a third and fourth on breaks while working on the tackles.

 

 

Another decision needs to be made. Which color to choose for the tackles?  This picture doesn't do the difference in colors justice. These are my options.

 

 

Note: Ropes of Scale did not identify which of the 45 mm tan lines was their cotton or their polyester version. Also, why is there a difference between the tan on the .35 mm and the two .45 mm ropes?

 

As far as color is concerned. My favorite is actually the model shipways WP 1242. Unfortunately this is too thick to get through the blocks, despite it being specified as the right diameter.  My second choice would be the Constructo provided yarn, which likewise won't go through the blocks.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 7/5/2025 at 11:52 AM, mtbediz said:

Peter, when drilling soft and thin woods before, turning the drill in the opposite direction helped me drill without splitting the wood. This information may come in handy in the future.

For what it's worth, the basswood split long before the drill went through far enough to consider throwing it into reverse. Had I been smart, I would have drilled the 3/16" holes first, then cut the lids to their final dimensions.  Next time. For sure! Because "next time"  😁, I'll be making them all out of a better Hardwood.

[JSGerson]

I'll say it again, that's one handsome looking model!!!

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

And the winner is....

 

Ropes of Scale tan .45mm.

 

While I prefer the color of the polyester, it would not take c/a glue. I had to revert to cotton to be able to tie knots and lock them in with a drop of c/a. 

 

I'm losing some time because I am doing the Hunt recommended seizing, so,

Back to days of fiddly work..

 

 

P.S. For those who suggested I twist the hooks, here's proof that these eyebolts are fragile, and cannot be overly worked.

 

 

Edited July 8 by Der Alte Rentner
Added p.s.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Half way..  

 

Edited Thursday at 03:32 PM by Der Alte Rentner

[mtbediz]

On 7/7/2025 at 9:39 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

P.S. For those who suggested I twist the hooks, here's proof that these eyebolts are fragile, and cannot be overly worked.

I make the eyelet first, then bend the hook part perpendicular to the eyelet so I don't need to twist the hook. I know it's too late to tell you this, but keep that in mind; you'll want to try doing it like this on your next build.

Edited Friday at 06:33 AM by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

Hmmm,  I was pretty sure replied to Mustafa's post above yesterday, but I must not have hit the Submit Reply icon.  Basically, I agreed that Mustafa's technique is correct, but because I chose to use Model Shipway's eye bolts to make my hooks, instead of making them from scratch, I put myself on this path. Those eye bolts are brittle if overworked. Moving on..

 

I'm submitting photos of the process I used to fabricate the tackles. This may not be of much benefit to seasoned veterans of model ship building, but I know I'm going to pull the information from this website into my personal build log on my desktop later. So, in part, this is my own documentation of the process.

 

I think the photos are self-explanatory, but I'll lead off with the comment that many hands make light work..

 

 

I used a drop of super glue and held the line against the eye of the hook until the line held fast.

 

Then positioned the eye precisely against the single block.

 

I tried other methods, but the simplest, most effective solution was to simply tie a knot. Note, this only works because I use the cotton rope. A knot in the polyester rope would not stay tight, nor would it take C/A glue readily.

 

Then I added a tiny drop of C/A to lock things in place..

 

Then moved on to seizing..

Note, you don't see it here, but on the far left of the clamp with the blue rubberized end, I used a piece of masking tape to hold the other end of the seizing line.

 

 

 

 

 

Once again, a dab of C/A glue to lock things down at the end.

 

Cut away excess,

 

Measure,

 

Another dab of C/A glue before

 

Slicing the line at a sharp angle to facilitate rigging.

 

The holes in the Syren blocks were too small for the .45mm rope, so I had to take two passes to enlarge the holes without splitting the blocks. This needed to be done for both the single and double block.

 

 

Rig the tackle.

 

36 tackles rigged, leaving 8 more to do on the weekend. 

 

 

(What are the odds that, before I hit "submit reply", I will succeed on one pass without typos or editing?)

Edited Friday at 06:25 PM by Der Alte Rentner
To answer that last question, zero! Am correcting typos on passes two, three, etc...

[mtbediz]

I'm so sorry if I'm bothering you, Peter. I'm just trying to understand and help. I know you won't remake them all over. If you used pre-made eyebolts, it was even easier. All you had to do was to bend the hooks perpendicular to the eyelets. Just keep that in mind for future hooks.

Edited Friday at 04:56 PM by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

Done with tackles.

 

[JSGerson]

Congrats. They look nice enough to frame and hang on the wall😁!

 

Jon

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

They look nice enough to frame and hang on the wall😁!

 

...but, after all that work, put them on your spar deck, instead!! 🤷‍♂️🤣

 

Nice work, Peter!

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 7/12/2025 at 3:29 PM, GGibson said:

 

...but, after all that work, put them on your spar deck, instead!! 🤷‍♂️🤣

 

Nice work, Peter!

That is indeed my intention. Thanks..

 

But before I get that far, I'm going to attempt to make the straps for the carronade trunions. The thought of painting on a brass colored stripe ala Bob Hunt (Chapter 11.8 The Carronades) did occur to me.  But you know me, I like the fiddly work. 😁

 

Borrowing a technique from Mustafa, I'm once again in manufacturing mode.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 10:33 PM by Der Alte Rentner
Ha! not a typo, just chose a better word.

[mtbediz]

Yep, that's it! Straps look very nice.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Another photo suitable for framing? Straps added to all Spar deck guns.

 

 

Next up? 

Address gammoning issue?  (Drill out the dowels I stupidly plugged the holes for the gammon chain with.  See Gregg's recent posts about turning those holes into slots for rope gammoning.)

 

Fabricate breech lines?

 

Fabricate or ignore "eyebrows" ( gunport curtains? 

 

Start chain plates and channels?

 

We'll see..

[mtbediz]

You're about to catch me!  Carronades look awsome.

[JSGerson]

Those straps are relatively easy to make, but can be very tricky to install. They are so light, that the slightest, wrong breath or quiver of the hand can kick them out of alignment or knock them off altogether. And should they land on the floor, those little rascals run away and play hide & seek🤣. Well done!

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

9 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Those straps are relatively easy to make, but can be very tricky to install. They are so light, that the slightest, wrong breath or quiver of the hand can kick them out of alignment or knock them off altogether. And should they land on the floor, those little rascals run away and play hide & seek🤣. Well done!

 

Jon

No joke! Worse, maybe because I had a couple of coats of poly already on the carriages, the CA glue set super quickly. No room for error!

 

I actually rehearsed picking up the straps before applying the glue to the carriage. I did drop two, but because I had the glue on the carriage and not on the strap, I just picked up a replacement strap and got the job done.

 

For what it's worth, I tried really pointy tweezers first, they were a fail. An old fat blunt pair of tweezers held much better.

[Der Alte Rentner]

9 hours ago, mtbediz said:

You're about to catch me!  Carronades look awsome.

I appreciate the compliment, Mustafa, but I'm never going to catch you. Unless you stretch your summer vacation into December. Then maybe I'll have a chance.  😁