Chuck Seiler

I thought it would be informative to post a little about the ship.
 
BTW the attached image is of the vessel ( unfinished of course ) with the captured shallop she captured stowed on deck.

Stowed below are 8 swivel guns shipped by Chuck waiting for their mount and installation on the poop deck( not a refuge for gulls with digestive problems)
 
S.O.S.
 
A little about the sloop Providence"
On 10 May, John Paul Jones assumed command of Providence with temporary rank of Captain. After a voyage to New York returning to the Continental Army about 100 soldiers whom Washington had lent to Hopkins to help man the American fleet, and after returning to Providence, Jones hove down the ship to clean her bottom and sailed 13 June escorting Fly to Fishers Island at the entrance to Long Island Sound. En route he saved a brigantine bringing munitions from Hispanola from the British frigate Cerberus.
Providence next escorted a convoy of colliers to Philadelphia arriving 1 August. There, a week later, Jones received his permanent commission as Captain. On the 21st, Providence departed the Delaware Capes to begin an independent cruise, and in a few days took the brigantine Britannia and sent the whaler into Philadelphia under a prize crew. On 1 September, daring seamanship enabled Jones to escape from the British frigate Solebay. Two days later Providence captured Sea Nymph, carrying sugar, rum, ginger, and oil, and sent the Bermudan brigantine to Philadelphia. On the 6th Providence caught the brigantine Favourite carrying sugar from Antigua to Liverpool, but HMS Galatea recaptured the prize before she could reach an American port.
Turning north, Jones headed for Nova Scotia, and on 20 September escaped another frigate before reaching Canso two days later. There he recruited men to fill the vacancies created by manning his prizes, burned a British fishing schooner, sank a second, and captured a third besides a shallop which he used as a tender. Moving to Ile Madame, Providence took several more prizes fishing there before riding out a severe storm. One more prize, the whaler Portland surrendered to Providence before she returned to Narragansett Bay 8 October.
While Providence was at home, Hopkins appointed Jones the Commander of Alfred, a larger ship and the Commander in Chief’s flagship on the expedition to the Bahamas. Shortly thereafter, Capt. Hoysted Hacker took command of Providence. The two ships got under way 11 November. After ten days they took the brigantine Active and the next day took the armed transport Mellish carrying winter uniforms and military supplies for the British Army. On the 16th they captured the snow Kitty. The next night, Providence, troubled by leaks which had developed during bad weather on the cruise, headed back for Rhode Island and arrived at Newport two days later.
The British seized Narragansett Bay in December 1776 and Providence, with other American vessels there, retired up the Providence River. In February 1777, under Lt. Jonathan Pitcher, Providence ran the British blockade; after putting into New Bedford, she cruised to Cape Breton where she captured a transport brig loaded with stores and carrying two officers and 25 men of the British Army besides her crew. Under command of Capt. J.P. Rathbun, Providence made two cruises on the coast and about mid-January 1778, sailed from Georgetown, N.C., again bound for New Providence in the Bahamas, this time alone. On 27 January she spiked the guns of the fort at Nassau, taking military stores including 1,600 pounds of powder, and released 30 American prisoners. She also made prize of a 16-gun British ship and recaptured five other vessels which had been brought in by the British. On 30 January the prizes were manned and sailed away. Providence, with her armed prize, put into New Bedford.
 On the left the replica Providence(Boston, 1980) During the early part of April 1779 Providence was ordered to make a short cruise in Massachusetts Bay and along the coast of Maine. She later sailed south of Cape Cod and on 7 May, captured the brig HMS Diligent, 12 guns, off Sandy Hook. She fired two broadsides and a volley of muskets during the engagement and Diligent, with mast rigging and hull cut to pieces, was forced to surrender. Providence then was assigned to Commodore Saltonstall’s squadron which departed Boston 19 July 1779 and entered Penobscot Bay 25 July. Providence was destroyed by her crew, along with other American vessels in the Penobscot River, 14 August 1779, to prevent her falling into the hands of the British towards the end of the failed Penobscot Expedition.

Rigging complete!!!  Just have the anchors remaining and some decorative copper plating.
 
       Bob R.

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..

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..

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..

Here are some paint samples, 20 thin coats.. Mars Black and Yellow Ochre.

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.

I'm only ahead because I started 6 months before you did.  Your progress is impressive.

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!

You'll be scratch building next.
 

 
Galley WASHINGTON is calling.  <Steve...BUILD ME!!!, Build me!!!!>
 

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Funny you should ask Chuck! I ordered the Rattlesnake from model expo (ebay site) and got it basically half price and free shipping. It is actually on route now..Anyway, looks like a nice long build. I am wondering if I should consider a different wood for planking hull and decks. Again, any advise welcome!! Have a Happy New Year!