Having a regular job again means two things; not having time to work on my models, and being able to afford a 3D printer.

Because of this job, nothing's been done to the models since Constellation went sailing in May 19, but last March, I got an Elegoo Mars resin printer and proceeded to pop out some carronades and 18 pounder barrels for Macedonian, mainly because I had files for those.

To do anything more I needed to find or create 3D models of what I needed. Finding files was a long-shot at best, so it's come down to chipping off the rust and building some digital models myself.

My first shot was at Constellation's head carvings, but that was too bold a step, it being quite some time since I seriously built a 3D model. I put this one on hold and moved to something much simpler, a turned post that supports the pin-rails at the base of the fore and main masts. This came out pretty well and I even got 15 of them to print well on the first try.

Emboldened by this success, I picked the launch's boat howitzer to try next. It was a bit tedious, and while I found lots of material and images on what these guns looked like, it seems every one was at least a little different than the others.

A test print didn't come out very well, but it did help me figure out some errors and flaws in the digital model.

Before trying to print anything in earnest, I figured to make a few 3D models, next up being the pivot guns.

I had already made the pivot guns from wood and resin, and intended on detailing them out with photo-etched hardware and fittings. Instead, I going for the entire gun, carriage, and slide as a fully detailed model, and hopefully print it in a single piece, well, print TWO of them that is.

The most basic of 3D models for this pivot gun was made years ago, so all I had to do was detail it out. I'm real happy with how the 3D model turned out, though I'm real nervous about actually printing the things.

This forum doesn't offer a way to put images into the text, or display them in any sort of order, so you'll have to figure out what pic goes where and with what on your own - sorry.

Rented a UHaul trailer to transport the models the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Managed to get Constellation into the Miles River, but only in shifty winds between two piers full of boats.

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In 1856, Constellation had two 10 shell guns mounted bow and stern as "pivots" or shifting guns. To make shifting them easier, and prevent them tearing up the deck, sectional iron plates were screwed down to the deck, a bit like model rail-road track, these were referred to as "circles" or "gun circles."

What pattern was actually used on Constellation is so far unknown. The museum folks think there was just a basic circle under each gun, but I think they've interpreted the name a little too literally, as I can find very few examples where just a single simple circle was used.

I decided to base the model on the more complicated patterns I found in photos and a diagram in the Navy's 1852 manual: Preparation of Vessels of War for Battle.

I cut the circles from 1/32" (.5mm) sheet styrene, painted black, and glued to the deck with gel CA.

Both guns on the model sit on access hatches that don't correspond to any actual hatch, so the bow circles, especially, had to accommodate the seam of the hatch.

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There's a ball-like thing at the top of each mast with sheaves in it for flag halyards, it's called a "truck." Constellation finally got her's today. The mizzen t'gallant and royal also got attachments to allow them to be easily removed or replaced as the main and fore sails got earlier.

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Not much, happening this time of year. The shop doesn't have heat, so things like batteries that shouldn't be left in the cold come in the house, and the shop which seems to stay at or near 40°f/4°c, become an annex to our refrigerator.
Now and then we get a warm day or three, and I open the doors because it's actually warmer outside than in, but more often than not what gets done is for other folks, and not the models.
Spring is about a month off, but we'll likely get get some warmer days before that and I have been doodling some thoughts on what to address on all three models when the opportunity appears.
On Constellation that's chainplates, pinrails, and getting the mizzen bracing working - a fairlead got some epoxy in it and needs to be cleared. I also want to get into some details like railings on the mast tops, and the bands that the futtocks attach to on the masts. if you don't know what that is, just wait and it'll be explained.

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Made the framed glass portion of the skylight. They're hinged so I can get a finger inside to flip the power switch on or off.
They're made from clear plastic from some packaging, basswood, and brass wire.

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Making a ship's wheel, specifically the turned spokes of a ship's wheel, and 20 of them all a-like, has been beyond me. So I gave up and got Model Monkey on Shapeways to scale his Constitution wheel up to 1:36 scale, and got 4 of them; 2 for Constellation, and 2 for Macedonian.

The helm is made of mahogany. The curves braces laminated from some strips from an old kit; the uprights from some scrap left from a musical instrument build. The drum is some mahogany dowel, from a kit again, and a brass rod axle.

Some paint and clear-coat and it's just about done. I was going to make it operate when the rudder servo moved, but a spoke handle fell off while painting, and I figure it's a bit fragile to be spinning at "non-scale" speeds, so it'll just get some line wrapped around the drum for show.

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Trying to rig the main tops'l and mizzen tops'l braces, I found the winch servos seemed to rotate more than the 3.5 times I thought they did. Oddly, one rotated 4.5 times and the other 4.25 times.

I plugged in other winch servos and got the same results, but my DX6 transmitter didn't have a servo-travel setting that I could find in the manual. So I made new winch drums - again - based on what the servos were doing.

The fore tops'l brace was fine, but the main seemed to pull one side more than the other side.

I mentioned this oddity on RCGroups and someone suggested the DX6 did have a servo travel setting, and I was sure I had looked for it years ago. My manual isn't where is usually is, so I found a PDF on line. Lo and behold, there's a Servo-Travel setting spelled out on page 42!

So I set about adjusting my TX settings to the new drums and there you go, working as advertised!

In the meantime I installed eyes in the mizzen for brace blocks to mount to, and made a brass wire ring for the main tops'l brace to tie to as noted on the original ship a few posts back in this thread.

I apparently slopped some epoxy on the inside of one of the mizzen tops'l brace thru-deck fairleads and blocked it up. I need to pull it like a bad tooth, and replace it, so the mizzen braces are hooked up yet.

Here's some exciting video of the separate bracing for the fore and main tops'ls.
http://todd.mainecav.org/model/constellation/videos/con20180623a.mp4

http://todd.mainecav.org/model/constellation/videos/con20180623a.mp4

🔗

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As the braces go on and off the winch drum, the go through a fairlead plate that's attached to, and moves with the winch, and guides the braces onto the correct drum so they don't get crossed. When the braces leave the fairlead they go off in various directions and angles which would actually prevent the winch servo from being able to slide fore-and-aft to maintain tension. A fairlead bar aft of the winches guides the braces straight to the winch fairleads to alleviate that problem.

Originally this bar mounted on two knees and looking like a riding bit (or a hitching post for us horse folks) was wood with screw-eyes on top. These small eyes were to be replaced with larger ones when I found some.

This was replaced with a metal bar with holes instead of eyes. This worked fine, but I was worried that it would unduly wear the brace lines over time and added too much friction to the system.

Today I replaced the metal bar with a strip of plastic cut from a cutting board. This stuff looks like Teflon, but I don't think it actually is. My concern now is the line with saw into this thing. I think I will make one with sheaves instead of just holes that will cut the friction and ease my concerns about it damaging the lines or the lines damaging it. First I'll see how this one works out, and any wear that appears will tell me at what angle to install the sheaves in the new bar.

If you're wondering why the new bar has so many fewer holes than the old one, it's because I reduced the braces from 5 pairs to 3 pairs. Only the tops'l yards are actively braced now.

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I've been using some 6mm brass framed blocks (shown with some other brass items in one of the pics below) for brace blocks on the yards, they aren't the correct style for the ship, but I needed functional blocks on the braces. I also only have so many of them, so to free a few up for duty below deck, I made up 6 functional wood-shell blocks for the braces. They're ok, and they work, but I don't care for how they turned out. I used some white cedar for the shell, which is too soft and open-grained. I have some branches from a fruit tree, though I don't know what fruit, and I'm going to try and mill some of it to use for blocks. Till then, these will do.

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