USS Constitution build II - 35 years later

Excellent work!  She's really coming together.

TJS

After finishing the ratlines on all the lower shrouds, I moved on to the main topsail shrouds.  Had to complete the futtock and Bentinck shrouds first.  Futtock shrouds collect onto an iron ring, which is then attached to the opposite side spar deck via the Bentinck shrouds fitted with bullseyes and lanyards (exactly the same as on the foremast).  Then up to the topmast shrouds (5 pairs), and finally the backstays (2 pairs).

Next up are the shifting backstays and finally the topmast stay and preventer stay.

Happy modeling.  And HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Bob

Happy Holidays everyone!

Bob

Thanks for the kind words. If I can help you out in any way with your build, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a great holiday.

Bob

P.S.  There is a big box under the tree that looks suspiciously like a large kit.  Heavy too, so probably a wood kit.  Santa must've read my email.....

Outstanding work!  You, sir, are a master modeler.  When I start my Constitution this year I will use photosa as my inspiration/motivation.  

TJS

Bob

After a very long semester of teaching pretty much every day, I finally have some free time again.  The Constitution has been moved from her spot of tranquility (next to the TV) and is back in the shop.  Yeah!  I have really missed building and working on her.

More to come in a few days as I get back into building.  Working on getting the main topgallant, royal and skysail masts completed, then on to completing the mizzen mast.

Take care,

And may Santa be overly generous this year!

Bob

Completed the port side ratlines on the lower shrouds. I used the "sandwich method" since it helps hold the shrouds in place, and allowed me to vary the "tightness" of the ratlines between shrouds, so there is a bit of sagging here and there.  I think that helps with the realism a bit, as most ships have a bit of sag in the ratlines.

Started with the mizzen mast since it had the fewest knots to tie, with only 6 shrouds.  Got the hang of tying all those clove hitches, and things went pretty smoothly.  I only went back and cut out the first two rows and redid them, since they were a bit messy.

Main mast has 10 shrouds, so a bit more work, but no problems at all. 

Ran into a bit of trouble on the foremast, since I had fully rigged all of the backstays, swifter cables and futtock shrouds.  Made it much harder to keep track of the knots, as I got tangled up in the other rigging a few times.  But I persevered and learned a valuable lesson - tie the ratlines before adding all the additional lines!  Added footropes to the foremast futtock shrouds, and then started up the fore topmast shrouds.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Bob

I completed the rigging of the mizzen shrouds and backstays, but before moving on to tying 1000 ratlines, I decided to try building one of the whaleboats.  Using the plans from the museum, I decided to build it using the "bread & butter" approach.

Thanks for following along!

Bob

So I finished the main and mizzen lower masts, and the main topmast.  Stepped the main mast after doing the electrical work for mast lamp.  Moved onto the mizzen spanker, boom and gaff, since they need to be added when mizzen mast is stepped.  Gaff and boom jaws needed parrals, but didn't have small enough beads, so I made them out of 1/16" tubing rounded on ends.  Also need the clapper for the gaff.  Cut the shape from wood, drilled a hole through center of clapper and jaws, and mounted with a 28 gauge wire.  Actually pivots, so gaff could be adjusted. 

Enjoy

Looking magnificent Bob

Michael D.

I have completed the rigging of the foremast finally.  Finally got all the way to the skypole.  Also added the spritsail yard lifts as well.

Back to the lathe and making the main mast.  Enjoy.

take care.

Bob

Clinic on standing rigging.

Nicely done and demonstrated, Bob.

I hope you are posting over on modelships.

All lower shrouds done so moving up the mast to the topmast shrouds.  Still working in pairs except for the 5th (aft-most) shroud.  Same procedure as before, except it is a bit trickier to rig the second deadeye on the shroud.  Had to get clever so I could seize it correctly. 

After the shrouds were done, started on the backstays, since the topmast forestay is supposed to go around both shrouds and backstays.  Started with the shifting backstays which have a very unique set of blocks, a hook and a loop around the lower deadeye, as shown below.  Once these are finished, I will do the normal topmast backstays to the deadeyes on the channels.

Take care and keep masking up!

Bob

I didn't mean to lose you Jim! Glad the photos helped.  Just trying to follow the BlueJacket plans and my 3 other resources to get this looking as close to 1812 as I can. Since this is my first foray back into ship building in many years, even I have trouble sometimes with the terminology being used. I constantly have to look things up or type them into the Google search bar. I try to research each section I am about to do if I have ANY questions, since I HATE doing things twice.

Thanks for the compliments.  It keeps me going.

Bob

    Bob, I'm still out here, reading along and following your definitive Constitution build to the best of my ability.

    You stretched my comprehension ability with your last "...While waiting for the correct size 3 sheave blocks to arrive to the foremast shrouds, I decided to strop the deadeyes and attach them to the fighting top.  To hold them in place, futtock shrouds are used, which attach to the deadeye strop with a hook and to a ring below the fighting top.  A Bentinck shroud then courses behind the mast to a pair of bullseyes on the opposite side of the deck and are tensioned with a lanyard."

   Thank you for adding Photos with arrows...(lol).

Yo, Great work.  Yours is another great Thread that I love to re-read and take notes.

      Jim.

Thanks Night-Fighter

A beautiful work of art.  I love it.  :)

After getting all the shrouds and Burton pendants onto the foremast, I added the fore stay and the fore preventer stay.  Each had to have a collar and mouse added, and then served.  They both attach to unique "open" hearts on the bowsprit which had to be scratch built and painted.  Each was tensioned with a lanyard.

While waiting for the correct size 3 sheave blocks to arrive to the foremast shrouds, I decided to strop the deadeyes and attach them to the fighting top.  To hold them in place, futtock shrouds are used, which attach to the deadeye strop with a hook and to a ring below the fighting top.  A Bentinck shroud then courses behind the mast to a pair of bullseyes on the opposite side of the deck and are tensioned with a lanyard.

Bob

Moved from the bowsprit to the foremast. Accidentally broke one of the 40g wires to the foremast lamp. It was a chore, but I was able to pull out the broken wire and splice a new one on. Can't really strip the insulation on that stuff - just have to gently scrape or sand it off.  All fixed, light is working, and stepped the mast using just a bit of the slow-set superglue on the bottom. Mast is pretty tight, but shrouds will hold it in place. 

All shrouds were individually tied, seized, and wrapped around the mast in pairs, working back and forth.  Mast is dead straight and has the necessary 1/2" of rake.  I tried to make sure to keep the deadeyes holes in line with the shroud. 

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Hope all your stockings are stuffed with modeling things.

Bob

Bill,

You were correct and I was in error.  The foremast stay and preventer stay are rigged to the center of the bowsprit via huge open hearts.  Topmast stay & preventer go through the bees.  All four of these will try to pull up on the bowsprit.  But with the gammoning and bobstays all rigged very tight, I am not worried about the bowsprit bending, since it is a solid piece of wood. 

More worried about the topgallant and royal stays pulling on the jibboom and flying jib.  That is where most folks run into trouble, especially with the very flimsy plastic, which really has a tendency to bend either the skypole or the flying jib.  I remember playing that game some 35 years ago when I first built her.  Had to go back and tighten up the martingales so I could get everything to look OK.  But even then, they had a tendency to sag in the summer.

Bob

Rigging.  An excuse to drink scotch.  (I am paraphrasing off of your tag)

Yes, topmast stay.

Thanks Bill. 

I am trying to remember to wax my lines.  Got the block of beeswax sitting on the bench, but I am pretty sure I missed one or two.

Not sure what you mean about the forestay.  Forestay and fore preventer stay are rigged into huge bullseye on the forward rail.  Did you mean that they get in the way of the main spar?  Or were you referring to the topmast stay (and topgallant stay) which do attach to the bowsprit and jibboom and could pull it up?  Principle reason I went with wood masts and spars all around.  Much less prone to bending (the flimsy plastic from Revell just doesn't cut it).

As for the studding sails, all I really wanted to know is whether they were left in the outboard position, even if there were no studding sails attached.  I read somewhere that they were left in the outboard position once under sail, and not hauled back in or out everytime they wanted to change.  Will check with my master crew next Wednesday.  I am a member of the Midwest Model Shipwrights club, and the head of the NRG is also a member.  Lots of experienced builders there, so hopefully I can get an answer.  No rush, since I have a LOT of rigging to go before throwing yards up.

Bob

Nice work Bob.

be sure to wax your lines and plan for the big bugaboo on the forward spar, which is the fore stay will bend it upwards.

Good clean work.

I tried to answer your question about studding sails, i.e. I don't know.

Bill

Sorry in advance for the long post.

Rigging has begun.  Started with the bobstays, bowsprit shrouds and martingales.  Finished up with most of the jibboom and flying jibboom guys.

Some intricate rigging in there, and I am inventing new ways (new to me, anyway) to try and do this all properly.  Seizing every bullseye and/or block.  Easy on the bench, a bit more tricky if the line is already on the ship.  Those that have to pass through thimbles or the dolphin strikers can't be "pre-rigged" at both ends.  Also hand looping between all the bullseyes with smaller rope so it looks authentic.  Bowsprit area is complete (for now).

That's it for now.   Bob

Just remember that on the rigging I am NOT using the Revell plans.  I have 4 other references I am using to come up with what was as close to 1812 as I can estimate.  Every Captain had his own ideas about the running rigging, and many things have changed over the past 220 years.  You really can't go by what she looks like today or the most copied version from the 1927 restoration.  It has proved to be a little more difficult than just following along with Revell's simplified version of rigging.

And I am being totally anal about using the correct size wooden block and diameter of rope.  I have about a dozen sizes for standing rigging and another dozen for the running rigging.  I pulled from a few manufacturers to fill in odd sizes and to make it look like ropes had been replaced over time (slightly different tints of tan).

But, hey, if it helps anyone, then that is fantastic.  I just thought it would be cool to see her go from a hull to a finished fighting ship in a matter of minutes.

Bob

Luvspinball

So my father-in-law had an interesting idea.  He said I should time-lapse the rigging.

So I set up a white sheet behind the bench, and at the end of every night that I actually work on the ship, I place the boat in the same spot and snap a few pictures.  When I finally finish it, I will have a cool montage of the stepping of masts, hoisting of yardarms, bending of the sails, and completion of the ship.

That is a great idea, Bob. It will certainly help us that are struggling with the rigging!

So my father-in-law had an interesting idea.  He said I should time-lapse the rigging.

So I set up a white sheet behind the bench, and at the end of every night that I actually work on the ship, I place the boat in the same spot and snap a few pictures.  When I finally finish it, I will have a cool montage of the stepping of masts, hoisting of yardarms, bending of the sails, and completion of the ship.

As of now, I only have 3 photos, so nothing to show yet.  I think it will look cool.  Our University did a similar thing by taking one photo every day at the same time to document the construction of our new research building.  Kind of cool to see an entire building go up in about 5 minutes.  Hopefully this will look equally as cool.

In the mean time, I will continue posting photos of the details of the daily work to document the intricacies of the build, and any other tidbits I may stumble upon as I go.  Today I had to scratch build a roller for the jibboom for the jibstay.  Took a couple tries, but I got something I was fairly proud of that actually works!

Pics to follow.

Bob

Got the bowsprit pre-rigged and installed.  Added the gammoning.  Solid as a rock - that bowsprit is in there great (until I snap it off by doing something stupid !).

Hope you all had a happy, and probably quiet, Thanksgiving.

Let the model buying for Christmas commence!

Bob

My grand daughter was showing my Connie to one of her friends and dropped it. Her friend stumbled trying to catch it before it hit the floor and stepped on it. The hull was broken.

I am starting the third Connie I had, salvaging the guns and carriages from the crushed hull. 

I learned how to load pics into a file on the pc (not being a pc person) and know how to e-mail them. In order to send them to FSM, exactly what address do I use and how do I get them into my build section?

Thanks for any tips you can give me. This one I will pic in FSM once I figure that out.

PS, this caused the shedding of many tears, and a delay while recuperating from the wreckage!