Size of copper plates

Well, the drawing in Mike's post is one I made back in the early eighties (I think) under contract with the Coast Guard Historian's office. I based it on Chapelle's drawing, which he traced from the original in the National Archives. I don't remember the scale on which I drew it, but there's a scale bar on the drawing (under the bowsprit).

I don't think copper mills were completely consistent, but typically the plates would be about 14"x48". That, of course, includes a bit of overlap.

I'm not confident of that 1/79 figure. The old Pyro/Lindberg/Lifelike kit was based on a wood kit that was made by Model Shipways. I think that kit was on the scale of 5/32" = 1', or 1/76.8 -pretty close. But there's no need for doubt on the subject. Print out a copy of the drawing and work out the scale based on the scale bar.

I'm a fan of that old kit. It's extremely basic, but fundamentally sound. One feature I really like is the base - simple, but to my eye a most effective way to mount a Baltimore clipper.

A couple of things to watch. The gunports are represented by raised lines on the hull halves - and the lines inside and outside don't match. The thwarts of the ship's boat don't reach the gunnels. And the shape of the bow decoration is highly unlikely.

Whether any of those flaws is worth fixing is, of course, up to the individual modeler. The kit is capable of being turned into a really handsome model. Good luck.

John,

Thank you! That's just the information regarding the size of the copper plates that I wanted to know.

Mike

And being careful not to suggest you shop elsewhere than BJ; if they don't have the width you want look at "everything in stained glass" as there' ll be incremental widths.

Well, Model Expo sells the same stuff. ME has been reworking its website lately, and some parts of it don't seem to work quite right. On the other hand, it's having a 30% off sale at the moment.

I'm a big fan and supporter of Bluejacket, but I've bought a lot of stuff from Model Expo over the years as well. I've always been more than satisfied with both firms' service.

I just ordered the tape at Model Expo. Their 30% off saved me a couple of dollars. Thanks to both GMorrison and John for the heads up.

I ordered the 3/16" wide since I thought it would be closest to 14" at 1/79 (or 1/77) scale.

Mike

One small suggestion. I've used that self-adhesive copper tape on a resin hull, and it worked fine. But I've never used it on a styrene hull. If I were you I'd roughen up the underwater hull with sandpaper, just to be safe.

I've used the tape on the Victory and America. It sticks well.

I hate to belabor this inquiry but when I measured the copper plates on the Alexander Hamilton based on John's drawing which, I realize, was based on a tracing done by Chapelle, I get 12" x 48" when using some of the larger plates near where John's signature is on the drawing. And that's not allowing for overlap.  Is this of any real concern? Should I just call it 14" x 28" and be satisfied with that?

BTW, It looks like you, John Tilley, should be making some $ from this site . Perhaps as an employee of the USCG you're not allowed to claim any private rights to this art?

Mike

It's 1989. I can't make money off any of those drawings; I got paid by the Coast Guard for making them, and when I delivered them to the Coast Guard they went into the public domain. Anybody can make any use of them he or she wants to. I did get ticked off quite a few years ago when Sea Classics published some of them in a for-profit magazine, but there was nothing either the Coast Guard or I could do about it.

Looks like "Fineartamerica.com," whatever it is, got hold of one from the first print run. The GPO screwed up the order and printed the drawings on a bright yellow paper - completely different from what the CG and I had specified. But getting the GPO to admit a mistake is almost impossible. Subsequent printings of all my drawings were on white paper.

I don't think you need to worry about the distinction between 12" and 14" on this scale. When I drew the plating on that drawing I was trying to take into consideration the angular shape of the hull. I confess I didn't plot it out as carefully as I might have. If I remember right, this was the first drawing I ever did for the CG - out of something more than thirty. I like to think they got better as I got more experience.

Chapelle's tracing of the original document didn't include the sheathing (or the masts, or sails, or rigging - or much else beyond the hull lines.) I have to take the blame for any mistakes that I added.

Later edit: I went to " fineartamerica.com ," and discovered that these people are selling copies of a lot of my drawings  - ships, aircraft, and lighthouses. At least one of the lighthouse sheets has had color added to it somehow. (The color isn't my work.)

I've asked the company to cease and desist. I want model builders and any other interested parties to make any use they like of my work, but I don't think they should have to pay for it. Anybody who wants copies of those drawings can download them, for free, from the Coast Guard Historian's Office website: http://www.uscg.mil/history/docs/plans/CoastGuardPlansIndex.asp . A few drawings I made are missing from that site, but the vast majority are there.