USS Constitution - Model Shipways

[GGibson]

This is the setup I used to do the soldering for the above.
View attachment 619503

Nice little jig, Peter! I especially like the "notes" you write down directly on the jig board. Many times, I'll look at something I created like this a few months down the road and wonder "what did I use this for?!?"

...I have always used a toothbrush for this purpose but it doesn`t really remove everything.

That doesn't leave a funny taste in your mouth the next morning?!? <shrug>

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Since I'm not painting anything over, and I want all the brass to look clean and shiny, I have to go through these hoops to be consistent in my build. I did manage to get another hour in at the shipyard today, this is dry fit but I'm on my way.

 

[g8rfan99]

Brass work looks really nice Peter. XKen would be proud

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

July 17 Next up, the main topsail yard.

I prepared another fixture for soldering the inner and outer irons (right). This time I doubled up the setup. I didn’t like working with the second of each pair on a charred jig.



Then I got to work on the brass cylinders for the irons. Perhaps I’m overdoing it providing too much detail here, but I wanted to show how I set up reproducible machining steps.

First, I clamped the brass tubing into the Proxxon vise flush with the end. Then carefully located the drill to center the hole in what will be a 2mm wide band. Of course, the hole needed to be centered side to side as well (left). This was eyeballed.


To set up the cut to net me a 2mm thick cylinder, I positioned the cut-off tool flush with the end of the brass tube. Then I set the dial on the carriage wheel to zero and moved the carriage exactly 2mm to the left. This process produced virtually identical parts.


Here’s the first, hot off the assembly line


and the entire batch ready to be soldered

 

[GGibson]

Perhaps I’m overdoing it providing too much detail here...

No such thing as "too much" detail... Nice brass work, Peter!

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

No such thing as "too much" detail... Nice brass work, Peter!

If you saw my update at the other site, you will have noticed that I'm missing some of that "detail" above. I showed how I positioned the holes in the yards for the irons using the dividing attachment. Only after updating the other post, did I realize I missed providing the detail here.



I had a senior moment here. For some reason, I freaked out and thought I had the irons in the wrong place on the yard. After checking Ken's build log, I confirmed that my original orientation was correct. So, I updated my personal build log and swapped out the photo below. The irons are correctly located - after all...

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Geez, SoS has some of the same issues as MSW when it comes to what you see when you're working on a computer versus what you see when you're looking at a build log with the phone.

When I was working on my computer at home, the font for text in the post matched the size of the font in the images from the screen shots of my off line log.

I'm going to attach a photo here, to show the irons for the foremast yard. Two more yards to go after that. Man, oh man, this is the most grueling part of the build yet. I have to solder the inner irons to a pin and keep the solder from running rampant over either ring. The solder doesn't always get where it needs to go, and I've had to repeat the process about a third of the time. This is probably the most frustrating task I've endured in the entire build, and I thought the galleries and bow scroll work were a PITA!

Anyway, this is slow going but I hope to have the irons fabricated and affixed to the yards in a couple of days.







To those of you following this build log, which do you use more often to check other people's progress? Your phone? or your desktop?

 

[rturcic72]

Geez, SoS has some of the same issues as MSW when it comes to what you see when you're working on a computer versus what you see when you're looking at a build log with the phone.

When I was working on my computer at home, the font for text in the post matched the size of the font in the images from the screen shots of my off line log.

I'm going to attach a photo here, but come back later tonight to post more photos and commentary.

This shows the irons for the foremast yard. Two more yards to go after that. Man, oh man, this is the most gruling part of the build yet.

View attachment 621195

To those of you following this build log, which do you use more often to check other people's progress? Your phone? or your desktop?

I do both because details are better on a PC, but I use the phone more because of the convenience.

 

[GGibson]

To those of you following this build log, which do you use more often to check other people's progress? Your phone? or your desktop?

Either one of my two laptops, my "main" one upstairs or the one in my shipyard. I never look at these logs on my phone.

 

[g8rfan99]

Hey Peter, I'm with Gregg, definitely more old school. I don't do anything on my phone. Too much trouble

 

[woodartist]

July 17 Next up, the main topsail yard.

I prepared another fixture for soldering the inner and outer irons (right). This time I doubled up the setup. I didn’t like working with the second of each pair on a charred jig.
View attachment 619879


Then I got to work on the brass cylinders for the irons. Perhaps I’m overdoing it providing too much detail here, but I wanted to show how I set up reproducible machining steps.

First, I clamped the brass tubing into the Proxxon vise flush with the end. Then carefully located the drill to center the hole in what will be a 2mm wide band. Of course, the hole needed to be centered side to side as well (left). This was eyeballed.
View attachment 619880

To set up the cut to net me a 2mm thick cylinder, I positioned the cut-off tool flush with the end of the brass tube. Then I set the dial on the carriage wheel to zero and moved the carriage exactly 2mm to the left. This process produced virtually identical parts.
View attachment 619882

Here’s the first, hot off the assembly line
View attachment 619883

and the entire batch ready to be soldered
View attachment 619884

Amazing, every time I see you use the Proxxon mill, i understand how much i have to learn to use all its potential

 

[JSGerson]

hich do you use more often to check other people's progress? Your phone? or your desktop?

Definitely, the desktop is my main means of communication.

Jon

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Amazing, every time I see you use the Proxxon mill, i understand how much i have to learn to use all its potential

In that post, I only used the Proxxon mill to drill the holes into the brass rod (and the yard). The other two tools that are nearly indispensable in that post are the Proxxon dividing attachment (even if I put it to different uses than it was probably designed for) and the Sherline lathe. I had no clue when I purchased that lathe that I'd be using it nearly every single day. Given that I have another 8 irons to manufacture, I'll be turning dowels for the soldering fixtures, returning studding booms (to fit the brass rings, where the ones I have are close in diameter but slightly too small - as they were for the ones I just made), and cutting brass rod to length, for at least another few days.

I'm fortunate that I can afford all these wonderful tools, and frankly have a hard time imagining building any model ships without them. My hat's off to the true "old school" artisans who are fabricating all these parts with hand tools. I would go bonkers!

 

[g8rfan99]

Peter, I definitely am envious of all your "toys".

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

No more cluttering up of Mustafa's build log...

I just spent two hours researching jeer blocks and how they are rigged to the yard. I couldn't use Mustafa's technique because I have already affixed the sling cleats. He essentially makes a sling, which includes the double block and cleverly slips this onto the yard from the end before there's anything on it to interfere with the sling.



I've searched SoS for the term "jeers", and found quite a number of good references. Most support the notion of a pair of double blocks on the yard between the sling cleats. (So much for the triple blocks as directed by the Hunt Practicum and the MS plans!)



A couple of references show how those double blocks are attached to the yard. This photo clearly demonstrates how I'm going to go about it when I return to the shipyard.



Here's an example of an implementation thereof by RegW here at SoS from October 2023(?)
https://shipsofscale.com/sosforums/...nia-latina-build-log.13917/page-9#post-483183



I still have the challenge of creating the "slings" at just the right length, but that should be fairly easy. As will lashing together the eyes across the yard.

Lastly, while I'm not 100% positive this photo comes from the Constitution herself, this proves that the jeer blocks are indeed doubles. (Hard to make out in the photo, but are these mounted the way Mustafa mounted his??)



Enough for today. Happy August to all...

And to Musafa directly, I will raise a glass of Turkish raki to you at sunset tonight

 

[GGibson]

I just spent two hours researching jeer blocks and how they are rigged to the yard...

And to Musafa directly, I will raise a glass of Turkish raki to you at sunset tonight

Good sleuthing, Peter! Nice work on the research and the presentation.

And, yes, I did a little Turkish raki research of my own. Sounds tasty!

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

The bartender at the bistro we spent time in before a theater performance last night had no clue what raki was. He didn't even know what ouzo was. So, no "lion's milk" for me last night. I will have to make a run to our upscale liquor store to get a bottle on the way home from the shipyard tonight. (Sorry, Mustafa)

After a motorcycle ride up to Thrasher's neck of the woods for breakfast this morning (Little Chef in McHenry, Geoff) and church upon my return, I hit the hardware store to pick up some cheap rope so I could practice seizing in a larger scale before attempting to do this on the jeer tackle.

Here's the result of that practice.







The two blocks I rigged using a different technique are still on the yard for comparison. It wasn't until I posted this picture that I realized I probably should have used black thread to lash the two eyes on the sling together.

This technique is definitely easier than the one I used before, now that I've figured out how to arrange three clamps to hold everything where I need it while doing the seizing.

Better still, I can add the lashing off the yard and slide everything into place before tightening the sling up.

 

[GGibson]

You'll have much better luck finding the raki in the Chicago metro than I am in KC area! Let us know!

Your jeers practice looks great! Practice makes perfect! Using the black thread will make even a better lashing.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Check back. I updated that post to show the finished pair on the main yard.

That goes for you as well, Chris and Frank. Sometimes I go back to a post with changes, rather than start a new one, especially when I don't see the notification alert lit on my phone. Which I didn't when I posted the update.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

That goes for you too, Chris and Frank. Sometimes I take a couple of passes at post before I'm happy with the result. I'm happy with the result now.

Interesting. This post wasn't there when I updated the one above. And I noticed that the post below this has a note above it that says, "in 4 minutes". I did not know about this time delay to post a post. I do now..