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

[JSGerson]

Beautiful!!

 

Jon

[GGibson]

They look great, Peter!  Awesome job! 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Now, why didn't I purchase two of the wheel kits from Syren? (the old gray cells they ain't what they used to be..)

 

Before I order the second one, I'm going to paint the metal ones that came with the kit and compare again.   

 

[JSGerson]

As you may know from reading my blog, I purchased two Syren ship's wheels a number of years ago in anticipation to replacing the kit's. Those kit metal wheels you painted look really good. What technique and color did you use? It's nice to know that if I screw up, I have a fall back option. I still have a ways to go before I can start assembling them, so it looks like I'll be following your lead.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

17 hours ago, JSGerson said:

As you may know from reading my blog, I purchased two Syren ship's wheels a number of years ago in anticipation to replacing the kit's. Those kit metal wheels you painted look really good. What technique and color did you use? It's nice to know that if I screw up, I have a fall back option. I still have a ways to go before I can start assembling them, so it looks like I'll be following your lead.

 

Jon

Sorry about the confusion, Jon, 

I guess I wasn't clear in the above post (#813).  What is pictured is one metal wheel (left) unpainted from the MS kit and the Syren kit wheel (right) stained after assembly.   BTW, that Syren wheel took roughly 5 hours to assemble, which included time on the lathe to turn the spokes into something more realistic than the blanks that came in the kit. And talk about fiddly work!  The assembly  required the patience of Job.

 

These photos come from the assembly instructions for the Syren wheel. Note the unmodified blank on the left vs the turned version on the right.

X marks the spot!

 

Because it'll be a week before I get the second wheel from Syren, I will experiment with painting the metal wheels from the MS kit.  However, I'm fairly certain that once I get a coat of poly on the Syren wheel, I'll simply invest the additional five hours to have the pair.  Maybe I'll get lucky and love the paint job.  We'll see.

 

P.S. Jon, you don't need to wait until you have to install them to construct the wheels. Think of it like the ship's boats, an extra curricular activity that can be done at any time. Some choose to start with them before they tackle the Constitution itself.

Edited Wednesday at 12:53 PM by Der Alte Rentner
Added a PostScript for Jon.

[GGibson]

51 minutes ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

What is pictured is one metal wheel (left) unpainted from the MS kit and the Syren kit wheel (right) stained after assembly....

 

However, I'm fairly certain that once I get a coat of poly on the Syren wheel, I'll simply invest the additional five hours to have the pair.

 

The Syren wheel, albeit the assembly looks to be a bit tedious (excellent lathe work, BTW), does look pretty sharp with some stain, Peter!

 

OK, I am too lazy to pull applicable plans out and do the measurements and conversions, but I am curious (and trying to take meticulous notes).  The Syren wheel looks to be in scale with your kit-provided wheel.  Is that Syren's 24mm or 31.75mm wheel?  Thanks, Peter!  Great work, sir!

Edited Tuesday at 10:10 PM by GGibson

[Der Alte Rentner]

2 hours ago, GGibson said:

 

The Syren wheel, albeit the assembly looks to be a bit tedious (excellent lathe work, BTW), does look pretty sharp with some stain, Peter!

 

OK, I am too lazy to pull applicable plans out and do the measurements and conversions, but I am curious (and trying to take meticulous notes).  The Syren wheel looks to be in scale with your kit-provided wheel.  Is that Syren's 24mm or 31.75mm wheel?  Thanks, Peter!  Great work, sir!

It's the 24 mm wheel.  The scale is a smidge off.  According to Syren, "This size is perfect for most 1:64 scale models", whereas the 31.75mm wheel is, "perfect for most 1:48 scale models".  Conny is 1:76, yes?

 

Thanks, and glad to help, anytime..

 

 

 

[GGibson]

2 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

It's the 24 mm wheel.  The scale is a smidge off.  According to Syren, "This size is perfect for most 1:64 scale models", whereas the 31.75mm wheel is, "perfect for most 1:48 scale models".  Conny is 1:76, yes?

 

Appreciate the info, Peter.  And, yes.... well, technically 1:76.8

[JSGerson]

Quote

P.S. Jon, you don't need to wait until you have to install them to construct the wheels. Think of it like the ship's boats, an extra curricular activity that can be done at any time. Some choose to start with them before they tackle the Constitution itself.

The wheels look like a fun little project, so I'm saving them as my incentive and "reward" to complete the spar decking and the carronades first. I've also got to fabricate the spar capstan too.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

While I await delivery of the 2nd Syren wheel kit, I'm diverting to the construction of the binnacles, giving me ample opportunity to make use of the Proxxon mill.

 

Since the accessory I'm using to hold the material only has a three jaw Chuck, I'm making square dowel out of round dowel for both the base and the top of the binnacle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to make another top, this time trying to simulate the lamp on top of the binnacle.  Before I cut the binnacle off of the brass rod, I gouged out a groove and then rounded the top on the lathe.

 

 

 

Edited 16 hours ago by Der Alte Rentner
Added content. experimented with photo placement. I still don't get how that works..

[mtbediz]

Great work!

[JSGerson]

That was beautifully done!

 

Jon

Edited Saturday at 01:50 PM by JSGerson

[Geoff Matson]

You have some very nice skills for modeling. I enjoy your posts0

[Der Alte Rentner]

38 minutes ago, Geoff Matson said:

You have some very nice skills for modeling. I enjoy your posts0

It helps to have good tools and shining examples here at the website to gather tips and techniques from.

 

Thanks

[Der Alte Rentner]

Still waiting for the wheel kit to show up from Syren, so continuing with deck furniture and fixtures..

 

Edited 15 hours ago by Der Alte Rentner

[GGibson]

Nice work on the steering wheel base, Peter!  The plans show the base wood to be cherry.  This looks really close.  Is it natural wood, painted or stained?

[Der Alte Rentner]

 

Gregg,

 

The plans that came with my MS kit call for mahogany, though that probably refers to the finish and not the base wood.  Be that as it may, in keeping with my non-traditional color scheme, I used boxwood to fabricate the base, and American Walnut stain for the finish. 

 

 

oh snap!  I just realized that I didn't make the bottom part of the base wide enough!  Good thing you asked the question.  Now I can start thinking about how to effect repairs..  So much for making this in one piece. 😒

 

I added a couple of photos.  The one of the wheel and binnacle supports my choices in color and materials.

and the one of the wheel from XKen's build, shows one possible solution to the base remodeling problem above..

Edited 13 hours ago by Der Alte Rentner
added picture of wheel (and binnacle)