USS Constitution by robnbill (Bill) - FINISHED - Mamoli - 1:93 kit - First Build - Bashed

[Landlubber Mike]

Really nice work Bill.  Glad your arm is feeling better

[robnbill]

Thanks Mike i am glad as well for so many reasons. Not the least i can get back on her now.

[robnbill]

I was able to get more of the Bowsprit standing lines installed today. None of the lines are cinched and glued yet. I will wait until it has a chance to stretch out and have more of the rigging completed. Once I have installed as much standing rigging as I can without having the masts installed, I will move on to the Mizzen Mast and install it on the ship. Currently all the masts have their shrouds served and attached to the masts. Photos of the current build are below.

 

 

[robnbill]

I have a question regarding how the plans are marked. I detailed it under rigging. It concerns Mamoli's use of BIS. I am confused on what it means. The link below has examples of what i am talking about.

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/8392-help-what-is-the-meaning-of-bis/?p=248636

[GLakie]

Don't know about BIS, but Paterazzo means backstay and 133 is your inner martingale backrope and 143 is your outer martingale backrope. The inner seizes to the upper and the outer seizes to the lower dolphin striker. Each is installed port and starboard. Hope that helps a little.

 

Cheers

George

[robnbill]

Well progress continues on the Connie. I completed adding the deadeyes to the mizzen fighting platform. I also counted the number of remaining deadeyes needed and found I was pretty short on the actual number needed to complete the ship. I do not currently have enough to actually attach the mast to the ship. I have ordered more of these from Model Expo. 

 

In the mean time, I have changed my mind again on using black or beige lanyards to lace the deadeyes. The current Connie has dark lacings. The plans recommend beige. Most models seem to have beige. Since beige makes it stand out better as well when looking at the model, I have decided to re-lace the deadeyes I have already done with beige.

 

I have started performing this. Hopefully in a couple of days, I will have the additional deadeyes needed and can begin stepping the masts and attaching them to the ship.

[GLakie]

Having to order extra parts is something I think all kits seem to have in common. Then you have to worry about getting the right scale parts back from them. Does putting "Everything you need to complete" on the box, constitute false advertising?

 

Cheers

[robnbill]

Well I guess given that Mamoli is now out of business it could be much worse. At least Model Expo seems to have the correct size and wood to match there deadeyes I already have installed. It is funny, I ended up with a lot of extra wood and a complete extra set of their canon ports. Otherwise, it is just a piece here or there that I have left. The only other thing I was short on was cannon balls. Since I decided to fully rig the cannon, I had to order more blocks and associated ropes. The plan only had the breeching lines as part of it. 

 

I see light at the end of the tunnel - I just can't tell how long this blasted tunnel is right now!

[HIPEXEC]

Having just rigged my bowsprit....I'm in familiar territory looking at your rigging of it. Nice work.

[robnbill]

Thanks. We are at very similar stages. Comforting to learn from each other here.

[robnbill]

I managed to get most of the deadeyes relaced today. There are still a few left on the Main that I plan on completing tomorrow. I know my new deadeyes have been mailed so hopefully I will get them tomorrow so I can continue. There were a number of the 3.5 deadeyes that I plan on replacing since I will now have plenty. There were a few that the holes were so misaligned that they ended up with two holes. 

 

So baby steps. I do like the look of the beige lacings.

Edited October 22, 2014 by robnbill

[robnbill]

Activity on the ship has been light the last few days. I am installing my new toy (a very early Xmas gift from Rob) in preparation for my next build the Eagle. A new SawStop table saw! I can't wait to start making more sawdust but alas once it is built and installed it will have to wait. The new deadeyes arrived and I need to get back on the Connie. I hope to have the new saw completed by sometime tomorrow and return to the ship.

Edited October 22, 2014 by robnbill

[robnbill]

I passed a milestone today. I started rigging the Mizzen Mast to the ship. I first took the jig I built to keep the mast centered to the deck and looped a thread around that to hold it to the mast. Then I started rigging the upper dead eyes on the foremast lower shroud. I did not lock the servings to the line yet with glue since I wanted to look it over tomorrow with fresh eyes before I do. I attached the deadeyes to align with the rail or slightly above. Once I have them rigged I can adjust them to set the mast rake. I think tomorrow I will run a temporary line from the bow and stern to the mast top to assist in setting the rake where I want it. Then I can fine tune it once the shrouds are in place.

 

Once the mast is in place and rigged, I can put a touch if PVA under the mast ring on the deck. This will still allow the mast to be easily removed if needed.

Edited October 23, 2014 by robnbill

[HIPEXEC]

Nice work! I'm following you.

[robnbill]

I was able to complete rigging the lower mizzen shrouds today. I had a small setback when I discovered that the forward most shroud was actually attached to a block. So I had to remove the deadeye that I had attached to it. Unfortunately I did not notice this until I had attached nearly all of the shrouds. So I spent awhile unlacing and relaxing the shrouds to the correct deadeyes.

 

I learned a trick. The laced deadeyes had a tendency to spin around once I actually put tension on them. This was due to the shroud untwisting. I know this would be sorted out eventually with the bar that is lashed across the shrouds just above the deadeyes but I still had rather they did not do it to begin with. What I figured out was once I threaded the lanyard through the top deadeye I would pull tension on it. This caused it to spin as the shroud untwisted. Once it stopped, I would hold it then lace it through the lower deadeye. Then once it was all laced and tensioned it no longer wanted to spin.

 

I also made a futtock brace out of brass wire then hand served this with black thread. I attached this to the third shroud from the back, which aligned it with the mast. I ran it between the mizzen mast and the spammer masts. I lashed the ends of the brace to the shroud, then brought the futtock shroud ends through the rings and affixed it to the shroud. Then I served the bundle to the shroud and tried everything up. 

 

The main and the foremasts all have Bentinck shrouds but the mizzen did not. Next I will work on the shrouds from the tip of the mast to the futtock shrouds. Currently I have a temporary stay run to the ring at the main which you can see in the photo.

 

Making progress.

 

[GLakie]

Coming along nicely Bill.

 

Cheers

[Landlubber Mike]

Nice work Bill.  I love the look of the deck planking against the hatch coamings in your last picture.  Can I ask what woods/stains/paints you used for the deck planks and the coamings?  

[robnbill]

It is Minwax Golden Pecan. The difference in colors is the wood from the Mamoli kit. The decking is Tanganyika and the coamings are walnut. I do use a Walnut stain touchup Pen as well on areas of the walnut that might need touching up. 

[Landlubber Mike]

Thanks Bill - I love the look of finished walnut.  I'm using pear at the moment on the deck items of my Pegasus, but I'll probably stain it darker to get that kind of color.

[robnbill]

I completed rigging the Mizzens shrouds today. I dressed the upper shrouds but will wait dressing the lower shorts until the other masts are in place and the rig is stretched out a bit. The upper shrouds have been tensioned for awhile now.  Next I will move forward to the Main. 

[CaptainSteve]

Bill,

Your Connie just gets better and better with every shroud !!!

[HIPEXEC]

Lookin' good!

[robnbill]

I am continuing to work on the Main Mast lower shroud deadeyes. The process I have found to work best for me is

1) Serve the first deadeye to the shroud and laced to the lower deadeye - this sets the level for the remaining deadeyes.

2) Bend the next shroud around a set of bent tweezers to locate the next deadeye. This allows me to tension the shroud while locating the deadeye position,

3) Make a loop in the shroud and tie just above this with the serving thread.

4) Push the deadeye into the loop.

5) Use the tweezers to hold the deadeye under tension and adjust the loop accordingly.

6) Server the shroud just above the deadeye.

7) Recheck and perform final adjustment for shroud length (using the tweezers again)

8) Rotate the deadeye for hole alignment

9) Use small amount of CA to lock deadeye and serving to shroud.

10) Trim loose end of shroud and add additional serving (and lock with CA)

11) Lace the deadeyes with the lanyard and loosely tension.

12) Do a shroud pair on one side then rotate to the other side.

 

Seems like a lot of steps but it is working for me better than the wire jigs.

 

Currently I am about half way through the lower main shrouds. Once I complete them, I will dress the upper shrouds. They are already laced but not fully tensioned.

Edited October 30, 2014 by robnbill

[robnbill]

I thought I would take a break and finally post a photo of where I am on the Connie. I am continuing to rig the lower main shrouds. I had a small setback yesterday when I noticed that months ago when I rigged the deadeyes to the chainplates I inadvertently missed one of the deadeye holes. So yesterday I noticed as I was rigging that the two sides did not match. It was pretty easy then to see my mistake. Since the chains were one of the components that was short in the kit, I had to make a new pair. I did this using brass wire. First I bent a small piece into the lower chain plate. This I soldered in the middle, then drilled three holes. One in each end and one in the middle. Then I took a second piece of wire and bent the connecting chain. After blackening I attached it to the ship and touched it up with black paint where the brass showed through. I have attached a photo showing the new chainplate installed. It is the second from the right. 

 

I am continuing to work on the main deadeyes and should have the lower main shrouds completed today.

 

 

[robnbill]

Thanks. I am beginning to see her shape up. Tomorrow I will be tackling the Bentinck Shrouds (off plan) since that is likely the way the futtock shrouds were done. They certainly were done in the British Navy at the time so I suspect the American Navy as well. It looks like the only the forward and main were done that way so I used a catharpin on the Mizzen. Previously I rigged the deck rings for the shrouds. Now I just have to implement it. I will post photos once I have it done.

 

I am assuming that I should not run the forestays until all the side shrouds are done. On this I am following the Mamoli plans (for the order at least).

[robnbill]

I finished rigging the lower main mast shrouds today. I also did a preliminary tensioning to see how the masts aligned. I did not cinch the lines off but wanted to start tensioning. I have decided to rig the fore mast before I rig the upper shrouds on the main and fore masts. This will allow me to align the masts with the lower shrouds before I start working on the upper shrouds. I will rig the mizzen then start installing the fore and back stays for the lower masts. 

[robnbill]

I have a question. I looking over the various logs I noticed some models have their belaying pins installed pretty early. Others wait until much later in the process. What is the best practice on this. Should I look at installing the pins now or wait until the standing rigging is complete?

[foxy]

Well Bill. If your going to secure some ropes to the belaying pins, then best me thinks is to place them before, so you have an idea where to place ropes come rigging.

 

But then you might want to secure ropes and belaying pins at the same time.

 

But for me I would go with the first choice, gives time for belaying pins to fix.

 

Frank

[robnbill]

Thanks. I guess I need to count how many pins I have and work from there.

[robnbill]

I actually have 100 belaying pins. Certainly more holes in the belaying pin racks than that so I will need to do some reading ahead to see where I need pins and what holes I want to leave open. Suggestions?