USS Constitution by Glen McGuire - BlueJacket Bicentennial Edition - 1/96 - Repair and Complete Construction

[Glen McGuire]

25 minutes ago, Bryan Woods said:

Glen, I really appreciate you marking those areas. I haven’t learned the language yet. That will sure help me learn when I can see it, when I see it written. One can’t rely on model boat manufacturers:-)

I'm with you, Bryan!  You would not believe how much time I spend trying to figure out what the instructions are telling me to do!    

[Canute]

Good luck in Boston, digging into the various museums, etc. Very historic city.

[Glen McGuire]

On 1/16/2025 at 7:18 AM, Canute said:

Good luck in Boston, digging into the various museums, etc. Very historic city.

Thanks, Ken.  I took my time getting up there with stops at several historic places along the way - Wash DC, Ft. McHenry, Gettysburg, Battleship Cove and the Maritime Museum in Fall River, CT, and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford.  In Boston, I got a tour of the Boston Museum of Art from a fellow ship modeler and artist that taught art at the museum for 30 years.  And then, of course, the USS Constitution Museum which is amazing.

 

But I'm out of the cold and happy to be back in a much warmer Austin!  For the next step, I decided to work on the Jacob's ladders that stretch the length of each top gallant mast.  The ladders go behind each mast and are perpendicular to the shrouds.  So anyone climbing them would be facing the ship's bow.  The BlueJacket plans do not call for Jacob's ladders, but I've seen them on a number of Constitution models, including an incredible one that is a centerpiece of the Constitution Museum, so I wanted to take the additional time to add them.  Also, I think they look cool!

 

The first task was cutting out the 70+ steps for the ladders.  Each step is 1mm thick, 1.5mm deep, and 7mm wide.  I lined them out a scrap piece of 1mm walnut and drilled holes near each end for the ropes to pass through.

 

 

 

Next, I threaded the ropes thru the holes of each step and attached the rope ends to the cross trees.  The mizzen mast's ladder is highlighted in the foreground and the main mast's ladder in the middle.  Their steps are bunched up at this point.  The foremasts's ladder has the arrow pointing to it with the steps spread out but not glued in place yet.

 

 

Here are all the Jacob's ladders completed and in place.

 

 

         

Edited January 31 by Glen McGuire

[Knocklouder]

Great work my freind, rigging is certainly one of the intense  part of ship  modeling,

 , that's one beautiful ship you have there , sir. 

Bob M.

[Keith Black]

 Neat Jacob ladders, Glen. How was the model show? Were your SIBs well received?

[Glen McGuire]

Thanks, Keith!  The model show is incredible.  There are some truly remarkable craftsmen that participate.  It is quite the honor to have some of my work sit alongside theirs for the competition and show. The show runs from 1/28 to 3/8.  So the models will be on display at the museum for public viewing for over a month.  A large number of the Boston area schools schedule field trips during this time so there will be hundreds and hundreds of kids that get to look at all the models.

 

As far as how my SIBs were received, I couldn’t really say at the time.  There was a 3-hour window to drop models off on Sunday 1/26.  You sign in, put your model(s) on a table, and then the official photographer takes pictures of them.  When I arrived, there were only a handful of people in the exhibit room and nobody said much about my SIBs.  Then Monday the next day, the judges review the models and determine awards so that when the show starts on Tuesday, the viewing public will know which models are award winners.  I was not able to stick around for all of that as I needed to hit the road and head back home.

 

So here’s the Paul Harvey rest of the story.  I took 4 of my SIBs to the show – The Independence, Flying Dutchman/Black Pearl, Ghost Ship Jenny, and Hannah (my first SIB from that Amati kit.  I took the Hannah because the museum was celebrating the 250th anniversary of the US Navy and they asked for as many historic US Navy ships as possible).   I was watching the photographer take pictures of the Ghost Ship Jenny when, to my absolute horror, I noticed that the bottle was cracked!  And I mean a LARGE crack running horizontally along the base and circling around the bottle.  When the photographer finished with his pictures, I examined the bottle and pressed on it to see if it was fixing to come apart.  But it still seemed solid despite the hideous crack.  So I figured, what the heck, maybe a cracked bottle adds to the mystique of a ghost ship?  So I left it there.

 

An FYI - this Ghost Ship Jenny was not the same one that I did the build log for here on MSW and is linked to below.  That one I gave to my niece since Jenny is her name.  But I liked it so much that I decided I wanted one for my own collection.  Her father (my brother) had fished out an interesting bottle of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey in the creek behind his house and given it to me.  It was a great fit for Jenny version 2 so that’s what I used.  I worked on it in parallel with the Banshee last year but didn’t do a build log on it since it was a repeat. 

 

Here are before and after pics.  The first one I took before I started the drive to Boston.  The second I took on the exhibit hall table at the museum.  For Jenny 2, I did make a few changes from the original Jenny.  For the icebergs inside the bottle I used pieces of quartz rather than modeling clay.  The piece of wood that the bottle rests on is a root ball from a cedar tree I found on my ranch.  The flat rock base also came from my ranch.  I think its sandstone, but I’m no geologist.  In the second pic, you can see the large crack running somewhat horizontally the length of the bottle’s base near the water line. 

 

 

 

 

 

To wrap up this way too long story, I got an email form the modeler’s guild on Tuesday informing me that one of my SIBs was awarded 3rd place in the Apprentice category (the only SIB to receive an award).  And guess which one of my four SIBs got the award – the Jenny, cracked bottle and all!!  I would have never guessed that.  But maybe the gruesome crack did add to the mystique of the ghost ship after all!  So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!           

Edited February 1 by Glen McGuire

[Javelin]

So they're calling you an Apprentice now... I wonder what the Masters' works look like then?! 

 

That crack makes me bit sad. Looks a bit like you made the model and inserted it through the bottom, gluing the cracked part in, together with the ship. Nowadays anybody can photoshop the crack away and state it's a "before" picture 🤪. 

 

In all honesty, I really am sad and can't imagine this happening to one of my builds. I hope it's not the result of differing temperature expansion factors between the epoxy and the bottle (perhaps in combination with a small impact?). 

That said, the Jenny does look awesome. Love those sails!

 

[Ian_Grant]

Congratulations Glen!  Not many of us can state they won a ribbon at a ship model show.  Well done!

 

Ian

Edited February 1 by Ian_Grant

[Keith Black]

 Glen, sorry to hear about the jenny's bottle. Is there a way to stabilize the crack without clouding the view? I'm also sorry to hear that your SIB's were not more well received. Those folks in Boston are a bit suspect,I mean, who likes salty iced tea? That the Flying Dutchman/Black Pearl didn't receive first place proves my point.  

[gjdale]

All of your SIBs are winners in our eyes Glen!

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, gjdale said:

All of your SIBs are winners in our eyes Glen!

 Absolutely, Grant

[Glen McGuire]

Thank you, Roel, Grant, Keith, and Ian for the kind sentiments.  

 

 

11 hours ago, Javelin said:

So they're calling you an Apprentice now... I wonder what the Masters' works look like then?! 

The Masters level builds are amazing, Roel.  Based on my understanding of the rules for competition, you have to earn your way into the Masters category by accumulating awards at lower levels.  And from what I've seen in person, I've got room for improvement in my ship building to reach that level.  So I happily accept the Apprentice label with the goal of getting better with each build and eventually reaching that level of craftsmanship.

 

 

7 hours ago, Keith Black said:

I'm also sorry to hear that your SIB's were not more well received. Those folks in Boston are a bit suspect,I mean, who likes salty iced tea? That the Flying Dutchman/Black Pearl didn't receive first place proves my point.  

I appreciate your thoughts, Keith.  I believe my SIBs were well received based on getting an award (I just didn't get a feel for it when I dropped them off).  If I had guessed beforehand which one would get an award, I would've picked the Dutchman/Pearl like you mention.  I was very surprised that the Jenny was recognized like that.  Keep in mind that there is not a separate category for SIBs, so my entries are being judged against regular ship models.  I honestly have no idea how the judges do a comparison of an SIB to a regular ship model.  So I was thrilled beyond words when I found out they recognized one of mine for an award.   

 

Now about that salty iced tea.  Hmmmm.  You got me on that one!

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Javelin said:

In all honesty, I really am sad and can't imagine this happening to one of my builds. I hope it's not the result of differing temperature expansion factors between the epoxy and the bottle (perhaps in combination with a small impact?). 

Interesting that you should mention temperature.  I was wondering about that myself.  On the drive to Boston, I spent 2 nights in Gettysburg, PA and the temps got down to -5 F at night.  I knew the negative temps would be hard on this old Texan's body but didn't really think that the low temps might affect my SIBs, so I just left them in the car.  Now I'm wondering if the cold actually did cause the crack.  Or maybe there was already a hairline crack in the bottle that I could not see beforehand and the vibrations of a 30 hour drive in the car caused it to expand.  After all, the bottle was fished out of a creek before I put it to use!    

 

Edited February 2 by Glen McGuire

[vossiewulf]

26 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

Interesting that you should mention temperature.  I was wondering about that myself.  On the drive to Boston, I spent 2 nights in Gettysburg, PA and the temps got down to -5 F at night.

Yeah, I think Keith is on the right track here. That kind of cold with two materials with differing expansion/contraction rates with respect to temperature bonded together... something bad might happen.

[Keith Black]

4 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

Now about that salty iced tea.  Hmmmm.  You got me on that one!

 The Boston Tea Party. 

[Canute]

I've seen several modeling organizations us the various categories working your way up to a Master Modeler. Like Grant says, you're a master here.

Unfortunately, many of our glues don't handle big temperature swings. Using CA to attach Photo etch is probably the worst, popping off at a bad time. Best cure for that is canopy glue and similar glues. They stay flexible enough to prevent separations.

[Glen McGuire]

On 2/2/2025 at 12:39 AM, Keith Black said:

The Boston Tea Party. 

Oh good grief (head slap).  How did I not figure out that reference.  I blame it on the insane cold that I experienced on my trip to the northeast.  My brain has not thawed out yet.

 

Thanks again to everyone for your kind words on my SIBs and the model show.  Time to steer this discussion back to the Constitution.  I finished up all the backstays.  They are in place with deadeyes threaded but not tied off.  I'll wait till after I get all the stays in place so I can tension all the lines properly.  I had a much harder time aligning the upper row of deadeyes on the backstays than I did on the shrouds.  Maybe it's because the lines are longer and all of them are different lengths. 

 

Regardless, here's how she looks with all her back stays in place:   

 

 

Here's a closeup of the main deadeyes.  You can see one of the backstay deadeyes on the opposite side that is drooping well below the others.  I'll fix that when I get the stays on and do the final tightening of the deadeye rigging.

 

 

 

Next up are the breast (shifting) backstays.  I had not heard of these before.  The instructions tell you how to rig them (sort of) but also state that they are not included in the rigging plan, so they don't give any hint as to how they should look.  Here's what the instructions say, "Fore, Main, Mizzen Breast (Shifting) Backstays - 5" collar seated on top of the backstay.  Set up between 4th and 5th deadeyes on channel with 1/8" double and triple blocks (not shown on rigging plan)."  

 

I took this picture of a large and very nice model of the Constitution at the Constitution Museum.  It's a closeup of the main channel and deadeyes.  I've highlighted what I believe are the breast backstays.  My instructions seem to indicate that there is one breast backstay per side per mast, but it looks like there are 2 per side in this picture.  So if there are 2 per side, would both be tied off with a collar around the top mast or would 1 be tied off at the top mast and the other tied off around the top gallant mast?  Any insight on breast backstays would be appreciated.  

      

 

 

[FriedClams]

Nice progress on the Constitution, Glen, really like the J. Ladders.  Good news on the award but so sorry to hear about that bottle crack - what a bummer! 
 

On 2/4/2025 at 10:00 PM, Glen McGuire said:

I blame it on the insane cold that I experienced on my trip to the northeast.  My brain has not thawed out yet.

 

I’ve heard downing a half bottle of Sailor Jerry can fix that.

 

Gary

[Knocklouder]

Great work my friend,  did you find were to tie your lose end, I look at some of mine. They are tied to a eyehook on the channel , another to the hand rail, also one to a cleat on inside side rail . Not much help I am afraid 😕. 

Bob M.

[Glen McGuire]

10 hours ago, FriedClams said:

I’ve heard downing a half bottle of Sailor Jerry can fix that.

I assume that is the voice of experience I'm hearing?  

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Great work my friend,  did you find were to tie your lose end, I look at some of mine. They are tied to a eyehook on the channel , another to the hand rail, also one to a cleat on inside side rail

Thanks, Bob.  Based on the answer I got from the question I posted on the Masts, Rigging and Sails forum, I tied off the block rigging for the breast backstays above the double block similar to how deadeye rigging is tied off.  Here's how they look starting with the blocks being stropped. 

 

 

Here are the breast backstays in place.  The breast backstays kind of blend in with the shrouds, but they are the block rigging with a double on top and triple below.  The stays run from the double blocks to the junctions of the top gallant masts and the royal masts.

 

 

[Glen McGuire]

This part of the build reminds me of an old Gospel song by Cristy Lane called, "One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus", with the lyrics adapted to fit ship modeling:

 

"One stay at a time, sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking of you.  Just give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do
Yesterday's gone, sweet Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine.  Lord help me today.  Show me the way.  One stay at a time"

 

Today's focus was the fore topmast stay and for topmast preventer stay.  They are both tied off with a loop at the fore top mast above the layers of loops from the breast backstays, topmast shrouds, etc.  The fore topmast stay runs from the topmast to the bowsprit, is reeved through the starboard bowsprit bee, and travels the beside the bowsprit to where it's tied off to a bullseye inside the bow head.  The fore topmast preventer stay does the same thing on the port side.  Here's how they look after installation.

 

 

Lots more stays to go!

   

Edited yesterday at 01:26 AM by Glen McGuire

[Knocklouder]

Awesome work, it looks fantastic and that's all I have to stay about that. Lol

Knocklouder. 

 

[SaltyScot]

39 minutes ago, Knocklouder said:

Awesome work, it looks fantastic and that's all I have to stay about that. Lol

Knocklouder. 

 

 

I am with you on that one! Awesome work!

[Keith Black]

Meant only to stay awhile and stay awhile he did

 

 made taunt the lines a thousand times 

 

 and found places where the tangles hid.

 

 Moved from aft to fore in search of the perfect tye

 

at day's end, knots and lines a thousand times

 

till silhouettes of lovely stays filled the evening sky. 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:33 AM by Keith Black

[Glen McGuire]

12 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Meant only to stay awhile and stay awhile he did...

Enchanting words, Keith.  Where did that passage come from?

[Keith Black]

Welp, that be mine.......... you're giving your heart to this project for the benefit of the builder's family. Your work is beautiful, above and beyond and instead of my normal praise I felt I needed to give you something from my heart in appreciation for what you're doing. 

Edited yesterday at 09:08 PM by Keith Black

[Glen McGuire]

4 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Welp, that be mine.

OK.  Now I am really impressed!  You have some remarkable talents, Keith.  

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, Glen McGuire said:

You have some remarkable talents, Keith.  

 Since my early youth I wanted to write songs and verse, short stories and the great American novel. I wanted to drink strong black coffee, smoke cigarettes, and woo long straight black haired young women. I wanted to stay up all night listening to a sad guitar............and that was when I was in the 5th grade!    

Edited 22 hours ago by Keith Black

[SaltyScot]

1 hour ago, Keith Black said:

 Since my early youth I wanted to write songs and verse, short stories and the great American novel. I wanted to drink strong black coffee, smoke cigarettes, and woo long straight black haired young women. I wanted to stay up all night listening to a sad guitar............and that was when I was in the 5th grade!    

 

Man that made me laugh!! You are really quite eloquent, sir.

[Glen McGuire]

Having none of Keith's eloquence, I can only recite song lyrics to show how I'm feeling doing all these stays

"Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother, You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.  Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive, Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive"

 

OK.  Enough of that!  I finished off the topmast stays by rigging the main topmast stay and main topmast preventer stay, followed by the mizzen topmast stay and mizzen topmast preventer stay.  The main topmast stay and preventer stays run from the main topmast to eyebolts on the foremast above the fore mast top, down the foremast to bullseye lanyards inside the fife rail.

  

 

 

 

 

Here's the mizzen topmast stay and preventer stay rigged basically the same.  The only difference is the stay runs through an eyebolt above the main mast top and the preventer stay runs through an eyebolt below the main mast top.  Again, both are tied off to bullseye lanyards inside the fife rail.

 

 

 

 

It was a bit tricky tying the lanyards inside the tight confines of the fife rails, backstays, shrouds, etc.  Had I know more what about I was doing, I might have done some things in a different order. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Glen McGuire

[SaltyScot]

49 minutes ago, Glen McGuire said:

It was a bit tricky tying the lanyards inside the tight confines of the fife rails, backstays, shrouds, etc.

 

Oh, so that's what they all mean when they say "I keep a tight ship". I always wondered about that