Pond

Thanks Mark. I printed them yesterday and started reading though. I planned to do some work last night and the evening got away from me. I'll check it out today and post a few pictures of what i come up with. 

I have a ton of extra wood I received from my Grampa. I'll do some practice with different methods on that wood. Wish me luck. i'll post pictures. 

Micah. 

Good tips guys. I also realized Grampa left me a copy of this. So  i've been reading up. much more to do. But yeah, i'm starting to feel a bit less intimidated. I need to get some battons on and get the other port side wale in place. than I think i can begin in earnest. 

https://modelexpo-online.com/planking-the-built-up-ship-model

For the record. My grandfather passed last April at 94. i'll post pictures of his boats I have in my possession later. i also use a bunch of his tools constantly. Many of which, my mother bought for him as presents as he was learning to build in his 30's. 

Thanks, Thomas. The Instruction is much appreciated. I'm going to give a few of these methods a go. My grandfather completed something like 40 ships with that areopecola bender. It doesn't have a temperature control on it. 

I'll be out there tonight giving a few of these some attempts. The fact is that this is my first ship so i'm not expecting perfection. I'm expecting experience and mistakes. And i'm okay with that. 

I should probably start a build log. 

part of the areopiccola is broken the roller isn't attached. i need to give it some love. I gave it a go when i first got it from my grandfather and had a heck of a time using it. there are no instructions with it any more. Do i need to heat the planks or just heat them dry and bend? the one i tested didn't bend very well and broke instead. 

I've printed the planking tutorials and i'll start reading them tonight. i realize a lot of this will be trial and error and i'll end up doing what i like best. I guess i like the concept of the steaming method, it's just the shaping and holding to the hull that i was hung up on. 

Hey all, 

I've been working on a Model Shipways "Rattlesnake" for about a year now. I got it for Christmas of 2017, took about 6 months off when my baby was born, and have since restarted. This is my first model ship. I'm to the planking stage. I have constructed a steam box and have chosen to take that route. I'm still dialing in the steam times for my planks, but i'm a little confused. 

Say i steam the plank for 20 minutes to get good pliability, The next step is to bend the plank to my desired shape. I have an old Plank bending iron that was my grandfathers. It's got a curved head and a roller on a spring attached to it. i believe that's to heat the plank back up and make it hold it's shape. However, i opted to use the curve of the bulkheads to get my shape. 

I've seen people use pins to hold the plans in place while they dry. that was a pain in the butt. I had to drill pin holes in the plank/bulkhead to insert the pins, then the glue dried and my pins were glued in place. i had to use pliers to remove them. 

Is my process out of order? What am i doing wrong? 

I see there are a few tutorials up above, but none reflect the stage of holding the plank on the boat. thanks in advance.

Pictures are below. 

Pond. 

So with a heavy heart and a bitter sweet announcement I can share that I came into possession of my own Aeropiccola Ralt 5A. My Grampa passed away in April at 93. He left me all his boat building tools and stock material. It's an honor to have it. I'd trade the tools for his companionship again and his knowledge. 

I'll post some pictures later. 

Working on the same kit. Though i'm a bit behind you. It's my first and i just finished putting in the bulkheads...i'll be following along. Good luck. 

Thanks guys. That second one posted is fairly common. It's probably what i'll end up with, but i'm going to keep looking of the RA.

I am familiar with Cragslist, but i'll only purchase locally with that site. Though, it's worth a shot.

Thanks...If anyone see's this and is willing to part with their RA, send me a PM.

Thanks.

Micah

Hi all!

I spent the day with my Grandfather today. He's a master ship builder with about 40 years of experience. He's 94 now and passing the craft onto me.

He showed me a too called a Ralt RA5 plank bender. He claims it's the best and really the only option as far as plank shaping goes. However, i've done some serious searching and all I can turn up are ended auctions on Ebay. it would appear that they're not manufactured anymore. Does anyone have any information for me, or even one I can buy?

Thanks in advance.

Pond.