Altduck

Deck Items
 
Added some things to plank around - main gratings, forecastle hatches, capstan base.  I also went ahead and drilled some pilot holes for the masts and poked some toothpick pieces in so I don’t loose them.  
 

The 5 Bitts
 
I just completed the Bitts.  There are five Bitts on the Rattlesnake.  These pieces are provided in the kit as Britannia metal castings. 
1.       Topsail Sheet Bitts – stand in front of the fore mast on the focsl deck
2.       Fore Gallows Bitts – stand behind the galley stack on the gundeck.  It holds the spare yard arms that the long boat sits on
3.       Riding Bitts – stand under the long boat.  This one has a short, thick pair of posts.  It is used to secure the anchor line when the ship is at anchor
4.       After Gallows Bitts – stand before the main mast. It holds the aft end of the long boat
5.       Fore Brace Bitts – stand right behind the bulkhead beam of the quarter deck
 
I don’t like the metal castings for these.  I don’t think it will be difficult to kit-bash these out of stripwood.  The hardest part is finding the right size pieces of wood to use.  The measurements for the cast metal do not match what’s in the plans anyway. I’m not going to get too worried about an exact match.  I made all my measurements from the blueprint plans.  For anyone who is interested, here is the process I used.
 
Topsail Sheet & Fore Brace Bitts:  Both of these are very similar in design and size.  The cross beams are both approximately ¾” wide.   The Topsail bitts posts are shorter @ 7/16” and they are closer together.  The Fore Brace bitts is taller @ ½” and the posts are spread wider apart.  They both require holes in the posts to simulate sheaves.  I used 3/32” square stripwood to make all these parts. 
 
·         Measure and cut the 3 pieces of wood for each
·         I cut the posts 3/32” longer to make a decorative carved top. I got this idea from David Lester’s Rattlesnake build.
·         I carved out the top first using mini-files & then cut the post to length
·         Filed out a notch where the cross piece needs to fit into the posts. I have a file with the right width!

 
·         Drill holes for the sheaves with a pin vise

 
·         Drill a hole in the bottom of each post and CA glue an artistic wire pin to secure them to the deck

 
·         Glue the parts together

 
·         I stained all 5 of the completed bitts at the end using Minwax Golden Oak.  3 coats to deepen the color
 
Fore & After Gallows Bitts: Both of these are the same in design.  The Fore Gallows is narrower than the After.  Also, the fore gallows have cleats on the fore & aft sides of both posts.  The After Gallows has no cleats.  Use 3/32 x 1/8” stripwood for both cross beams.  I selected the wider 1/8” strip to allow for the curved shapes that need to be sanded into the cross beams.  Measure and cut the 3 pieces of wood for each
·         The top cross beams require some curves to be sanded in on both
·         Drill a hole in the top and bottom of all the posts to insert pins that will act as dowels to anchor the cross bars and secure the bitts to the deck
·         Prepare kit supplied Britannia cleats. (Left pair filed and ready; Right pair just out of their bag)

·         Glue the parts together
 
Riding Bitts – This is a shorter but more “massive” bitt for holding the anchors!  Use 1/8 x 1/8” square stripwood.  The cross beam is inset into notches on the posts.  The steps are similar to the topsail bitts, except there is nothing additional required.
 
The 5 Bitts are ready for staining

 
Bitts after staining.  Note the cleats on the Fore Gallows Bitts in the upper left corner.  I think mine are better looking than the metal ones from the kit!  But I’m biased!!

 
I plan to build, rig & install the last 8 cannons before I attach the assembled Bitts to the decks.  I need room to work.  I did glue down the assembled hatches, since these are low and will not be in the way.  In fact, I need to know where they are located when I lay down the coils of rigging ropes for the cannons.  I also attached the pad for the galley stack and the galley stack on top of it.  The plans show this skewed toward the port side.  A hole was drilled first through the pad and then through the deck after the pad was glued down on the deck.  I used thick CA glue to attach the stack. 
 
Here is a pic of the ship at the current time.

 
My next step is to work on the remaining cannons for the gundeck.
 
Thanks for looking in on my progress!  Your comments & questions are always welcome.
 
Thanks,
Ed
 

Hatches: Coamings & Gratings
 
There are five Hatches with Coamings & Gratings on Rattlesnake.  Back when I started planking the decks, I made a decision to glue the hatches on top of the deck, rather than building the deck around the hatches.  I used 3/32”x1/8” stripwood for the large coamings.  1/16” x 3/32” stripwood for coamings #1 & #4.  I sanded an angle on the top outside edge to smooth off the 90-degree edge.  I painted the coamings red.  The gratings in the kit are made of cherry wood.  They will only be treated with wipe-on poly. 
 
Model Expo did not provide enough of the laser cut stripwood for the gratings.  But, per my request t0hey sent me some extra at no charge.  That’s a nice benefit with their models.  Here is a list of the hatches starting at the bow and going aft.  I did not add the one that goes under the Focsl deck.  This space was mostly filled up with the fully rigged cannons.
 
1.       Galley Steam Grating – located between the galley stack and the foremast.  I used the smaller stripwood on this little grate.
2.       2nd Largest Grate – located aft of the Fore Gallows Bitts.  It is nearly an inch long
3.       Largest Grate – located forward of the main mast & aft of the long boat bitts.  It is 1.25” long
4.       Small Scuttle – located in front of the cabin wall.  It has a solid cover
5.       3rd Largest Grate – located in front of the capstan on the quarter deck
 
Here are the steps I used along with some pictures:
Measure, cut & glue the outside frames according to the plans.  I used this jig to make sure they had square corners.  This important for the gratings to lay correctly.  I used lap joints.  I made all 5 at once, while I was on a roll.

 
Measure and cut the inside ledges to hold the gratings.  Use 1/16” square stripwood and made sure it was flush with the bottom of the coamings


Sand down the outside top edge at an angle to smooth off the 90-degree edge

 
Paint the coaming frames red.  Paint the ledges black

 
Cut and glue black cardboard under the gratings so it looks like the dark hold of the ship is underneath (instead of the lighter colored deck)

 
Measure, cut with a #11 knife blade and sand the gratings to just fit the inside width of the coamings.  Start at one end and lay the pieces in position.  Place drops of CA glue around the outside edge to hold everything in place

 
Cut a piece of 1/32” thick stripwood for the solid cover on the scuttle.  Round the edges w/ a sanding stick.  Stained the cover with Golden Oak
 
Seal the assembled pieces with Minwax satin wipe-on poly.
 
Mark the locations on the decks for each hatch.  Glue them to the deck.  I have not glued them down yet.  They are only placed in position in the below picture.  I'm going to wait until I make the Bitts before I start gluing.  In fact, I may install the cannons before gluing the bitts.  I want to have enough space to work on the cannons.  It was challenging working under the focsl deck with those cannons!

The next step is to make the Bitts.
 
Thanks,
Ed
 

One could not watch this series without being captivated by the Richard Rodgers and Robert Bennett musical score. Absolutely wonderful.

Good evening mates, well…I’m finally back to where I was a few days ago! Mizzen mast installed with working lights.
 

Hi Olaf!  If I am understanding your question, the #10 Xacto blade I was referring to that I like is the 2nd one down from the top left in the picture on my post, that fits into a "standard" Xacto knife handle.  The lower right one is similar, but fits in a larger handle, as you can see the notch part (the little rectangle opening on the left side of the blades) is a bit bigger in that one. 
 
EDIT:  Here's a "knife/blade matrix" I found that will help determine what blade goes with what handle...
 
x-acto-matrix.pdf (scene7.com) 

It’s been awhile since I posted my progress (crushed hand and other things going on).
 
 Here is where I’m at so far next deck is on lighted and ready for the next part of the build.
 
 Enjoy the pictures
 

 

 

 
 

Good evening mates, today I was able to spend a little time in the shipyard to finish the stern railing. A tedious process, but it looks great.

Where in California?
I'm in Roseville, and I have a Byrnes thickness sander that I doubt I will use in the future.
PM me if you wish to pursue it

Where in California?
I'm in Roseville, and I have a Byrnes thickness sander that I doubt I will use in the future.
PM me if you wish to pursue it

Hello I am looking to purchase a thickness Sander, I live in California.  I am spoiled I love the Byrnes Machines.
Any suggestions? Thank you, Nick

Lathe "cabinet" "storage base" which ever you want to call it, I've finished building it now for some spar varnish on everything and reassemble.  After that maybe do some turning.
Enjoy the pictures.  I will post other pictures when all the finish work is done and reassembled.
 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

Well, for better or worse I pulled the trigger and bought a mini lathe.  I know lots of you have sherline lathes and they are a great lathe.  But for the money and what I believe I want to do, and the features that were offered and options available, I bought a new Taig lathe.
I took a long hard look at both machines and I picked the best one I thought would fit for what I wanted to do with a lathe.  I actually bought all the accessories that I wanted with the lathe and still came in under what a base model sherline lathe is with the same or close to the same options.  So, I guess money had something to do with the purchase as well.
 
I'm happy with the purchase, wife is good with the purchase (you know, always have to keep the banker happy), and I'll do a review on it after I get some turning under my belt.
 
Picture below only shows what is included in the package I bought.  The options I bought not shown in picture.
 

Thanks Kenny.  I hope you enjoy your build as much as I'm enjoying mine. 
 
Next project was the Endurance name and star on the stern and the trail boards at the bow.  These are photo-etched brass parts, painted black in the case of the name and white in the case of the trail boards, then sanded to remove the surface paint in the case of the raised letters and the raised trail board decorative elements.  I was dubious as to how well this would work, but with little effort it worked flawlessly.


Gluing the name and the star to the stern was not particularly difficult.  OcCre has you paint the star white, but looking at one of the photos of the actual ship when it was discovered a couple of years ago, the star appears to be brass (or bronze) identical to the letters, so that is how I did it on my build.


Gluing the trail boards to the bow was difficult, given the abrupt fold where the stem meets the hull.  Minuscule differences in the location of that fold made a big difference in where the aft end of the trail board ended up on the hull. Unfortunately the aft end of the starboard trail board ended up noticeably below the aft end of the port one and below where I wanted it.  I didn’t really notice until I looked at the two bow on.  That is not how the model will usually be viewed when completed, but still I’m inclined to try to remove the starboard one and do a better job of placing it when I glue it back on. I didn’t get a picture of the discrepancy, and the photo I took of the port one  didn't come out very well.

Another update has to do with the wood staircase between the different decks. The first image is the metal part supplied in the OcCre kit. I have been thinking for weeks how I would make this complex staircase look like wood. This is my first attempt and I think it came out well so I will do the other three staircases the same.
 
I could have painted the steps brown, or attempted to make a paint pattern that looks like wood, but what I decided to do is laminate the metal part with very thin lime wood and then stain and varnish to look like the rest of the wood on the model.
 

Thanks, this has been a fun build.  I can't wait to get it finished and on display.  That way I can concentrate more on the Confederacy which can be seen in some of the photos.
 
Also, the Stones are cool.  I like most early rock-n-roll and Lego (got a huge Lego Star Wars collection).  And we have two GSDs (German Shepherd Dogs).
 
Axel (the photo is kinda grainy; pulled it off of my iPhone)

Bella (she is very submissive/loyal when it come to me)

Today, i got the rigging of the mizzen lateen sail completed. 

And with that, the sail rigging phase is complete. All that has to happen is for the flags to be made, the anchors rigged, and the stand painted. All of that will likely happen tonight and tomorrow. 

I looked at many Mississippi build logs to get an idea how others made the railings, I estimated a range of railing heights.
 
I measured the angle of the steps (60° from horizontal) and made a couple measurements on the full-scale drawing to create a stick drawing of the railing. (I’ve discovered the full-scale drawing varies a bit from what I build).
 
I printed my template and tested the fit to determine changes; I used it as a guide to form a railing with a piece of the brass wire with pliers.  I adjusted the brass wire test piece to best fit the stairway.  I revised my drawing, test fit a new print, and used it to revise the brass test piece again.  Repeat as needed.
 

I considered how I was going to make six railings the same.  I think the easiest way is to print a template and use pliers to form the wire to match the template.  I decided to make this an opportunity to use (learn) my hobby CNC machine; I took the drawing and turned into a file to use a spindle router to route the pattern into a piece of wood.  The jig was helpful but you still form the wire with pliers to match a template.  I drill 1mm holes to anchor the top of the railing.
 

I added dimensions to my template drawing:

Check fitting the railings.  I see the forward pair are a little low, I pushed the wire in too far and you can see it below the floor.
 

Work of a true perfectionist. Great results. I am impressed by you attention to the hull planking and your patience in achieving its perfection. 

Thank you guys for all the likes and good feedback!
 
Gregory the wood is Holly.  My aim is to make a white "bone-like" ship.  As Aliluke says. 
 
But in my rush to move on to the next step, finally, I flew too high and messed up.  I was sanding juuuuust a little more...
 
and sanded through the stern planking.  Its the dark smudge midway up the stern planking right where it inserts onto the sternpost.

I couldn't leave it this way so I attempted some fixes.  First, I tried painting it.  Holly is white, so maybe I could hide it with white/yellow paint.  Here I put a first layer of primer on and it looked awful. 

I also worried that even if I could get a good match the holly would yellow over time and make the paint more obvious.
 
My buddy Jason (JLong) who was over last weekend wondered about a covering patch made of white glue and holly sawdust, but based on how bad the paint looked I didn't think this would work either.
 
Next I tried cutting a semi-circular patch with one of my chisels.  I couldn't get a tight fit and gave that up too.

Then I tried a butt-joint repair on a scrap of holly.  Thats the slightly "V" shaped piece of wood above the semicircular patch above.  I found a butt joint was still visible but a mitered butt joint became almost invisible (below).

So maybe a save.  I cut out the sanded-through section.  Notice this forms a wedge/trapezoid shape, not a nice rectangle.  You can't easily tell but the top portion and to a lesser extent the bottom of the trapezoid piece is curved, not straight.

I made my patch but couldn't get a tight it on all 4 sides.  Make one side fit and it changed the other 3 sides.  I especially couldn't form a tight butt/miter so the patch stood out.  Which is exactly what I didn't want.

So. 
 
Nothing for it but tear out the entire plank.  The plank above it was also pretty thin, and I figured I'd sand through it while leveling the replacement plank, so it went too.

Above pic I had removed the 2 old planks and roughly shaped the replacements.  These were slowly sanded down until they fit as best I was able.
 
Then I glued first the top plank, then after it dried final fitted the lower plank and glued it in.  Here they are after the clamps came off.  The blue tape is to minimize glue squeezeout.

And here they are after sanding.

I need to make the repaired sternpost/plank junction a slight amount wider so it matches better, but otherwise I call that good enough.
 
So a long entry to get exactly back to where I started
 
have a great Week between Christmas and New Years.   Don't oversand like I did
 
Cisco

That's it for the standing rigging!! 

I am very proud of myself for doing something i have never even attempted before, and i hope you guys are too. 

I recently had the opportunity to visit Ft. Gaines on Mobile Bay.  One of the displays was an old ship's rudder recovered from the bay.  It is kind of a cool example of rudder metalwork as well as coppering.
 
 
Adam

Had about an hour or so to work on the longboat today, so I cut out and installed the frieze.  I sprayed the paper with the frieze on it with an acrylic sealer that I had in the garage.  Then I cut them out and glued them onto the longboat with ModPog glue.  Once that was done, I installed the rail under the frieze.  Once the glue was dry, I painted the rail white and then touched up any of the other painted areas as needed.

Reminds me of the tale I heard once:
"George Washington's hatchet that he used on the legendary Cherry tree.  All original except that the head was replaced once, and the handle 3 times."

Santa Maria, finished