sport29652

Quick update; finished the cabin bulkhead. I used thick black paper (same as used for my caulking) for the hinges and the epoxie putty for the door knobs. I've added top railing with and put a decoritive molding around it. Also added the foredeck bottom rail. Don't know if you can see it in the pictures but I didn't set it high enough. It flows into the mid deck railing so I'll have to improvise on how to make these two rails separate and the decorative molding on the hull to flow to the bow without looking like a train wreck.

I love your build. I'm just a bit behind you I'll be using you as a guide. Keep up the great work

Keep it up looks good !

JPett that's the stuff. It takes 24 hrs to fully cure. I'm thinking about adding some additional decoration to the transom using it. P.S. A little goes a long ways. I bought 18" of it and maybe used 1/4 inch.

Thanks guys, I'm still trying to figure out what or how that false deck is going to be put in.

Made a little progress on the bulkhead. A couple more bits and it will be done. I like how it came out. Once finish is applied it will look good (if it can Be seen).

Next I worked one the transome fashion piece. I used an epoxy putty called " knedalite." I hope that's the correct spelling.

I love this stuff. The down side to it is that it is not wood. The up sides are endless. When you first mix it its a little like chewing gum. It sticks well and if you let it sit for a bit it becomes very workable. Thought I should pass this on for those tricky things we have to make.

Thanks Scott! It helps to have an experienced modeler such as yourself give complements.

I've started building the cabin bulkhead. My plan is to build it out of vernier thickness woods. I'm trying to copy the plans 1:1. It's extremely slowi going the wood (Swiss pear, cherry and walnut) is very small. My clumsy hands have a very hard time not breaking these tiny bits. Here is some pics:

I've obviously got aways to go. I've been milling some pear to make the moldings throught the ship. If you don't have a Byrnes saw yet, get one, worth every penny!

Finished planking the main deck ! Sanding this is interesting. The cross dams on the foredeck make it tough to get at the deck. Not sure where I'm going to work next. I obtained a copy of hunt's particum for the rattlesnake. It's based off off the malmoli model, and seems their is a couple differences. Also obtained some Swiss pear. This wood is great. I have been using my Byrnes saw to make some new molding out of the pear. I also ordered some two pArt epoxie putty to help make the transome fashion piece. I'll report back on how that goes.

So far figured pau marfim seems to be the closest match. Satinwood looks to have some distinct open grain, so their goes my $$$$$$. This wood is almost like glass. I really appreciate you guys for looking.

The three yellow figured pieces of wood on the left. I placed A piece of yellow heart next to them on the right to maybe help? The figured wood has a very tight grain, almost no visible pores, where the yellow heart has easily noticed open pores. The mystery wood is also noticeably heavier/denser. I would love any help that could be provided.

Obviously been out of the shipyard or awhile. Almost done planking the main deck. Saw all the photos are gone

Scott, way to go. Sorry haven't been around for awhile but its baseball season and coaching is taking up a huge chunk of my time. I hope to get to my build soon.

BTW I stole the scraper idea from another member.

JSG- cant wait to see the finished product. I bought one of these kits last year and went "huh?" I hope your log will show me how its done.  

make sure the thickness of your framing will fill the distance between the inner and outer planking, otherwise you will have gaps in you gun ports where the planking inner and/or outer planking meets it. also remember there is a gentle curve to the hull so your framing will have to be faired to match the curve.

Hope that helps and makes sense.

Scott, keep up the good work !

As for the cabin access doors (not sur if that's what they are called) I'll be installing mine in a week or two after I finish planking the deck. My reasoning is that they would be removed when the ship was readied for action, I think. I'm going to use boxwood and cherry vernier for these doors. Not to sure what others are going use? I kinda feel like the point man of the rattlesnake builds so if anyone has any ideas I'm listening too.

It's my pleasure, I hope others get as much as I do out of this collective effort. Without out this site I doubt I would have progressed or built anything that I have.

Kudos to MSW !

I lined up my bulkheads with the reference lines and ended up with my quarterdeck sitting higher than it should. Scott is right with this, but I do remember someone else getting the advice to line up the deck ? Perhaps a compromise ? Or better yet maybe JPETT or some of the other rattlesnake builders could chime in ?

One of the bummers of the kit is getting hit with in accuracy right off the bat. Anything is fixable with shims, just got to ask yourself how much patience and wood do your have.

Sorry for contradicting myself but I think either way your gonna be shimming.

Line your decks up. You can always add material to the outside of your bulkheads when you fair the outside. Great to see another Rattlesnake, at this rate we will be competing with the victory builders for most kits underway.

Here is a close up of the transom to give you a final look. Imagine the hull plank terminating right where the transom filler bock is. I didn't think about this so my planks made a sharp last curve to meet the transom planking. The basswood bent better than I thought. It seemed close to a 90 degree angle. I think this is what others warn about. If you got a smooth transition your in good shape. In my case I think I goofed it up and was still able to pull it off.

Martin & Scott, thanks guys. Maybe my camera angle hides it a bit but in the end I hope some rope coils will make it completely invisible. I'm doing my best to make shire not to duplicate my mistakes on the main deck. Lots more hatches/grates to throw a line off.

Wow great job ! I'm a newbie to scratch myself. Have some kits but am having 10x the fun doing this scratch build. What are you using for your joint, paint, pencil, tar ?

JSG, looking good ! What did u use for the mast bands ?

Finished planking the quarterdeck. Decided not to rip out the exsisting planking. Hopefully it's not to noticeable ?

Here is some of my latest work. Haven't quite sanded the inside edge much. Once I pick up my full size plans from the print shop I'll get the joints tight.

Mark and Jim, next time I'm at the woodworking store I'll pick up some birch. I'll experement with the cherry I have.

I'm impressed with your painting ability. That metal casting for the transom was tough for me to paint. I curious what do the two stars represent ? What colors will be going on the hull ?