Preparing Copper for Installation on USS Constitution

Before copper sheets are installed on USS Constitution's lower hull, they have to be individually perforated so that the small copper nails can be driven through the copper sheet and into the white oak hull planking. In October 2016, ship restorers at Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston use a hand-cranked machine patented in 1852 to punch 150 holes in each sheet.
_____
This video has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Maritime Heritage Grant program, administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, through the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, Chairman. However, the mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior, or the Massachusetts Historical Commission.