Gregory

Are you clicking on the little trash can by the image you want to delete at the bottom of your post where it says: " Uploaded images " ?

Point well made. The ships boats look very nice..

I refer you to this recent discussion. Making blocks There are others. I will try to put together some more references for you.

What does your rope walk look like? There are different styles out there.. Mine is somewhat traditional but limited by the length of my workbench.. I can only make about 40 inches of rope at a time. The size of the rope is determined by the number of threads I use on each of the whorls. I have made rope with up to 8 threads on each of the 4 whorls, for a total of 24 threads.

How are you using the pencil? If you run it along the edge after it is in place, there is less mess. Just one edge of adjacent planks gets the effect done. Also, how soft a pencil? I think you will find a No. 2 works fine. ( Disclaimer: While I have used pencil to good effect, the above image is of some laser cut planks, so the char provides the lines you see. )

Did I see you have you have the Byrnes saw in your shop? How small a kerf do you have? With an .02 kerf, you can make all the grooves on a long strip before you separate the blocks and fine finish them.

Here is a basic illustration from Mondfeld. I recall seeing this method in more than one model ship building book, so you may already have this.. Another option is to laminate some thin strips together, where the strip in the middle is more narrow than the outer strips, creating the sheeve portion without sawing or milling.

My 550 in '74.. Couple of my buddies had 750's.. I was jealous..

Chuck, just curious about your source for some of the fine images of contemporary models. Are they publicly available, or is it private stuff you have access to?

The difference compared to post #108 is obvious.. looks great!

Chuck says he uses this stuff for his friezes . Avery Glue Stick Good idea to practice with some scrap and find what works best for you..

Minor update to show I'm still working.. Planking above the wales complete. A couple of coats of poly, with more to come. Next up; inboard gunwales and cap rales.

I don't think the Syren is any less complicated, but the kit is better designed and the instructions are much better. I think if you build a Syren you are happy with, the Rattlesnake will be less challenging and you will be better prepared to improve upon the kit and overcome any shortcomings.

Work goes on.. For me, the planking is more than one project. I switch back and forth between above and below the wales. Port side above the wales is almost done. The darker color on the left is where I am seeing how some poly will look. Only three strakes below the wales so far. I'm still doing some planning for tapering at the bow an broadening for the stern. The kit uses 4mm wide planks and calls for 5 stealers at the stern. I'm making my own 5mm planks out of veneer and will shape them to avoid stealers or drop planks. This is my spilling technique that I am still refining. Good thing I have plenty of the veneer I am using. I lay a piece of masking tape over the area where I want to put a plank, and trace it with pencil. I lay it out flat on a piece of paper, which I then scan, and refine the shape in my editing programs. I then use this pattern to cut out the plank with my laser. Needs a little trimming for a tight fit, but it lays flat with no further bending required. No pictures of my scrap bin while I was refining this process..😁 Looking ahead: I won't be using the cast quarter badges that came with the kit. As with the transom, I will try to put together something based on the Chapelle drawings.

Do you have any more context? A broader view of the plans? I found this in Longridge.

Here are some pictures for you.. Don Dressel SOS..

The laser cut keel and stem are a nice improvement over the old design. However, I would have preferred if the pieces defined the rabbet and the bearding line. This shows where the plans define the rabbet and the bearding line. The dark area under the overlaid plans is where the laser cut parts actually sit along the backbone. ( The placement of bulkhead #2 is an error on the plans, but doesn't affect the build. ) The plans, btw, are pretty much a duplicate of the old Mamoli plans, except where they illustrate the new parts, but provide nothing in the way of explaining how the building of the kit would be any different. Here is how I etched the rabbet and bearding line onto the laser cut parts. I also etched the scarf onto the stem to add a little extra detail. Here is my little jig for getting a tight fit of the parts. The grey thing in the middle is a diving weight to keep the pieces flat while the glue is setting. A dry fit of the bulkheads is nice and tight. I had to sand the slots a little bit, otherwise they were a little too tight. The bulkheads are perfectly symmetrical, and match the plans perfectly. Dusek has done a superior job in this regard. The plywood is very good quality; the best I've seen in any kit. I still need to do some fairing before I glue the frames together; then on with the planking.

Here is a tip when considering Mamoli/Dusek kits. Most retailers will have the new Dusek kits, but if you are shopping on eBay etc., you may see the original Mamoli versions. This is what the box looks like for the older kits, and it will be similar for kits other than Gretel. The Dusek kits will look like this. Some of the older kits have not been reissued yet, but a lot/most of them have.

With the extra leisure time on my hands I decided to break out another kit from my stash to have more to do while waiting for the glue to dry on my Resolution. Mamoli/Dusek Gretel This will be my 2nd time around with this kit. For some reason I am attracted to Mamoli kits. even though they have their shortcomings compared to some of the other manufacturers. My modeling goal is more of an art piece rather than an historically correct masterpiece, and since some Mamoli kits seem rather whimsical in some respects, that may be why I am attracted to them. I was attracted to Gretel because it looked small and simple, and the sort of thing that would make a nice gift for a family member. I have a sister-in-law who was bugging me for a ship model, so that was what happened to the first kit; which I enjoyed building and led me to do it again. I have some pics in the Gallery as seen in my signature. This is the new Dusek resurrection of the kit, and it includes some features that myself and others might find as an improvement over the original Mamoli kits. Mamoli says that Gretel is based on a Chapman drawing, and the lines confirm that. Mamoli has made their own changes to some details, but not to the detriment of the model as far as I’m concerned. The changes mostly consist of simplifying some of the ornate work. Duplicating that Chapman counter would be an interesting and challenging endeavor. (... Hmmm, Laser engraving might be an option. ) Here is an overview of the kit contents. The relatively small number of parts compared to some of the monster kits we see, is refreshing in my opinion. I just realize I didn't include a picture of the wood package, but it is a typical bundle of sticks and looks to be of good quality. I will report any problems if I encounter any. Dusek has added a lot of laser cut parts, and they are a better fit than the stamped parts that Mamoli used to include. Dusek has added separate laser cut stem, keel and stern post, whereas Mamoli used to have you create those parts by applying veneer to the one piece backbone. I think the separate parts make for a better look, but the way Dusek has designed them is presenting some possible challenges. More on that later. Dusek has also replaced most of the cast ornamentation that was in the old Mamoli kit with some laser engraved pieces. The wood is dark, and the details are there, but don’t show up as well in person, as they do in this picture. I’m going to have to think about how to bring out the detail. I don’t like to paint, but that may be part of the solution. There are a few etched brass parts, which should make for a better finish in some areas than we had with the original kit. I struggle to build out of the box, because I’m always seeing ways to do things differently. That may have a lot to do with why it takes me so long to complete a kit. I am going to do my best to build this out of the box for the most part, because I think that helps others see that the kit should be all that you need to end up with a nice model. However, I know I won’t be able to resist changing some details here and there, which I will point out when it happens. I am actually a few hours into the build, so I will post an update soon.

Good information. With all said and done, I have that kit in my stash, and will have to think about making that work when I get around to building it.

What VTHokiEE is saying, is what I mentioned up thread. The chisel may not work so well with MDF, but sand paper and files should do it. If you have a rotary tool, a little drum sander would help if used carefully.

Just out of curiosity, what do you see as the problem with cutting the bulkheads?

Time to bite the bullet and share what we all know: It's not always pretty. My first planking is just about ready for the 2nd finishing layer. I don't like to use paint except in certain circumstances, which I will bring up later when I paint something. With that in mind, I am using a dark mahogany stain to accent the gun ports. Still have some details to work out with the bow gunwales. Fabricating some knight heads, not part of the kit plans, but based on the Chapelle drawings. Meanwhile, I am working on other details while the glue dries.. The kit includes a so-so cast transom, but it will not fit my vision for this model. Again, I go to the Chapelle drawings for Ferret/Sharke. These are my laser cut frames that I will incorporate into a cherry transom. I don't think I will be attempting any detailed carving on this model, but will accent the shape of the transom and window frames with some moldings. With a lot of time on my hands, I will hopefully have more updates soon.

I know the bar is set pretty high here, but if I were building that kit, my goal would be more of a piece of folk art. I would use a lot of stain and varnish to get a wood look. No paint, except for black in the masting and spars. I think the metal details you showed would go good as is, except for something to knock the shine off. Some nice scale rope would look nice rather than the " thread " usually included in kits. Adding the yards to the masts in the proper manner gets my vote also.. Just my vision, and I respect that you might have other ideas.

It might make a nice gift for your mother-in-law. In which case, I would build it as is.. While certainly not up to the standards of MSW, it would make a nice mantle piece that would get a lot of ooohs and aaahs from the average observer..