Chuck Seiler

I have used the Byrnes Saw for many years. I use the 90 tooth slitting blade almost exclusively. It gives a nice smooth cut for planking and fine cuts. I will occasionally use the 24 tooth for larger stock. I get my blades from Thurston Saw Blades out of Rhode Island (as recommended by Jim). Primarily the .030 thickness bit occasionally .040 or .020. http://thurstonmfg.com/

Nigel, When you printed the transom on clear plastic, did you print that from your computer or did you have it done professionally?

Steve, Howdy! I am currently working on keeping my head above water at work. So far so good, but the day ain't over yet. With that as a backdrop, I have set the WASHINGTON aside and have set me sights back on PROVIDENCE. I am hoping to have it 75% finished by the NRG Conference. The hook is set. You are an official model ship builder-one model complete, two in progress and at least one on the shelf.

SOS Model Shipways "ARMED VIRGINIA SLOOP" is a better choice than a cutter. I don't know if they will sell you the rigging plans separately, but its worth a try.

Steve, I was trying to find the discussion by Chuck regarding his painting method. I thought it was inhis CONFEDERACY log, but I can no longer find that one. I see you were able to communicate with him regarding the primer issue. How did you like the look of the paint job? It is hard to tell from the photo, but it looks pretty good. As I recall, Chuck recommends a light sanding every 2 or 3 coats with very fine (800-1200 grit) sandpaper. Hopefully he will see this and chime in. Good luck with RATTLESNAKE..

For guidance on binnacles and how to build them, go to Chuck P.'s practicum for SULTANA on the Model Expo site. Practicum #3, pge 9. http://www.modelexpo-online.com/images/docs/MS2016CB/MS2016-Sultana-Practicum-03.pdf As far as rigging plan is concerned, I plan on using the rigging plan from the Armed Virginia Sloop.

The frigate CONFEDERACY has nothing to do with the Confederate States of America. It is named after the country formed under the Articles of Confederation, i.e. the United States. Build the model!

No airbrush, just the stuff right out of the can. I don't do much in the way of spray painting. The lower hull is pretty simple.

It depends on if you plan to paint it or not. If you plan to paint it all, don't bother with different wood. If you plan to go 'au naturale', at least in part, boxwood above the wale would look nice. The black parts can be painted, but I would recommend checking out Chuck P's painting technique in either his CONFEDERACY or WINCHELSEA...I forget. Basically, it is many (8 or10) coats of very thinned out acrylic paint. I have tried it with good results. Below the wale? That depends on how good you are at planking. For my PROVIDENCE, I was using holly below the wale with good results (until I stalled). However, that is after MANY attempts at properly planking below a wale. With my SULTANA, the planking did not go well and I used much wood filler to fix. No worries. Sand it down nice,spray paint. I used a cream colored paint...don't recall the color, but I will find it...(I don't like the stark white) and I think it look great. Maybe I will get off my butt, finish it and have it at the NRG Conference next year.

Great job! What's on tap next?

Steve, Congrats and well done!!!! It looks great. A case is a must.

Aye, there's the rub (so to speak).

You get better at managing it once you poked yourself in the eye or broke an important piece off. It get more interesting when you get to the more complicated masting and rigging plans. Go in to the various logs and see the correct order to rig the ship and (2) get some long tweezers.

I am sure there are some folks here who have done it. I'm not one. I don't even transport myself on a plane if I can help it. Something about sardines.

Outstanding!!! Maybe we can have that beer we never got around to having in 2007.

That's not bad. I took me a little over a year to do my Philly 1, but that included some down time AND some pretty intense time (5+ hours a day, including 1 all nighter the day before I had to get it to the Fair). Burn out!!! You are over a year into the model and you are still working on it. CHECK. You are almost finished. CHECK You are still relatively sane (or at least no less so that when you started). CHECK Congratulations...you are an official certified (certifiable) ship modeler!!!! Seriously, though, you are doing great. I regret that I didn't stick with it and build at the same pace. Do you think you will be able to bring it to San Diego next year?

S.O.S, I seem to remember a painting of PROV off-shore in the Caribbean with boats in the water. I will see if I can find it when I get home.

Kurt and I will be driving pedi-cabs between the hotel and the Museum.

$$$$$$$$$$ In doing research for the event, Mike Lonnecker (SDSMG Guildmaster/NRG Director) found the Wyndham costs/prices to be way high.

DOH!!!!! That shows you how far I got with the kit.

Steve, Looking great!!! Your starboard shrouds/ladder look real good. The close up shots are nice. It brings out the details. You have really done a great job. Forward rail: Did you bend it of cut it curved? I don't see the metal support wrap holding the mast to the crossbeam. Am I missing something or are you adding that later? Are you bringing this down to San Diego next year?

While I did not attend the conference this year, I can speak from experience from previous NRGs and SMA conferences, the round table discussions alone are quite valuable. The downside is that you can't attend them all. Keep up the great work guys. I am looking forward to NRG San Diego next year.

Now its time to start working on Next years Conference in San Diego . Get ready Chuck It will be Glorious!!!

I am a big fan of not painting,but in this case I think some painting is needed. If you go with the basic basswood, golden oak is a good color for above the wales. Chuck P has had alot of success with that. Personally, I would go with boxwood for above the wales and holly for deck. I have a Byrnes Saw and regularly cut my planks. However, buying pre-cut 'lumber' is an option in this case. Generally, in my experience, planks above the wale don't require much in the way of spiling, so no fancy cutting is needed. What are your plans for coloring the wale (black)? In the past I have tried wood dye and india ink. I used the latter for my SULTANA with good result. For PROVIDENCE I am trying the method Chuck P and some others have mentioned-coachman style. (See his CONFEDERACY and/or WINCHELSEA build logs. Here, you use many (10 or so) very thin coats (watery) of paint with buffing in between coats. When done right, it is fantastic. I tried it on the transom of PROVIDENCE. Below the wale? One PROVIDENCE I am experimenting with holly, to simulate white stuff. Since many ships of this era seem to 'white stuff' below the wale rather than below the waterline, it is a bit easier. The downside is that you planking has to be perfect. Planking a ship like RATTLESNAKE is alot harder than PHILADELPHIA. For SULTANA, I planked the best I could, used wood filler to fill the imperfections, then painted using a cream colored spray paint. (I don't like stark white) Anywho, my thoughts. Looking thru the archives, there are alot of RS build logs. Once you start yours there will be plenty of folks who will tune in and provide input.

I like the RATTLESNAKE a lot. Really nice lines. I have the kit, but Chuck said if I start any more build logs, he is going to.... well, it wouldn't be pretty. I would recommend it. There are enough people who HAVE started build logs on it that you would have plenty of help.