Rattlesnake by JSGerson - FINISHED - Mamoli - 1:64 - Using Robert Hunt’s practicum

[bdr449]

I call Igor, I can't post pics of their ship on your site, I think it will be easier if you give your email address in the mail. My address is bdr449@inbox.ru

[JSGerson]

There is a size restriction to the photos you can post. Maybe that is your problem. Check out this page on the site. It explains how to post pictures:

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/540-how-to-add-pictures-in-your-posts-and-pms/

[JSGerson]

The Practicum does not address securing the anchor blade to the model although both the Mamoli and the MS plan show it. Mr. Hunt’s model does not appear to have this tie off. Both plans show an eyebolt in the deck from which a rope is looped around the anchor and tied off on the railing post. My model didn’t have the deck constructed where the eyebolt needed to be. Therefore a plank had to be added for the eyebolt complete with treenails.

[JSGerson]

After the anchor rope passes through the deck rings it is fed into the main hatch. The Practicum instructed the builder to drill a hole through the grating with a 1/16” drill. The Mamoli plans show a square opening. Hahn’s plans are silent and his model is constructed in such a way that there are no gratings. The MS plan is ambiguous. The rope resolved the quandary. As soon as the rope is cut, it begins to unravel. Trying to keep it under 1/16” was impossible so I increased the hatch opening by cutting and making four grating opens into one. Now the rope had plenty of room to move during dropping and weighing anchor.

 

[JSGerson]

Here is the model at this stage

 

[jud]

Interesting anchor line arrangement. Otherwise very nice work.

jud

[bdr449]

Jonathan Zdravuj. Rattlesnake military discipline in everything, including the status of the running rigging and standing and laying gear on the deck. On this considering the quality of the building you model (Admiralty) I suggest redoing the recoiling Tali guns like mine on the model. For such bundles of rope bosun poubivalby negligent sailors.

[S.Coleman]

It's coming along very good. Keep up the good work. This bout was one of my first as well. Wish I had kit bashed it like you are doing!

[JSGerson]

Igor (bdr449) -  I did try to make perfect coils like you did without much success. So instead of going crazy, I assumed (probably wrong) that the "pretty" coils were used when the ship anchored, but during an actual sail, trying to keep the ropes that neat was a wasted effort. At least that was my excuse.

 

How did you do your coils?

[Martin W]

It looks good, Jon, well done.  That's a good solution to the anchor problem, which I actually didn't encounter because I planked the entire deck.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[JSGerson]

Hull Sheaves

 

At first this looked like a straight forward simple install. A piece of 1/32” x 3/16” x 3/32” boxwood is to be glued to the outside of the hull and a hole drilled through until it passes through the bulwarks on the inside of the hull. Somehow this didn't look right. First, a sheave is a rope pulley built into the hull wall. That means it actually has two holes, one at the top of the pulley wheel and the other at the bottom. Second from what I could find, these were built flush with the hull; they didn't stick out of the hull.

 

In order to install the sheave in the hull I would have to make a finely cut rectangular hole in the hull and fill it with a double-holed sheave block that could accept a “rope” to pass through it. This would require very high tolerances and I don’t have those skills. The sheaves should have been constructed before the hull was planked. I just didn't know then. Remember this is my first boat of this style. Why the Practicum didn't address this then, I don’t know.

 

Therefore a compromise was required. Instead of a simple block of wood with a hole in it as depicted in the Practicum, I elected to make the block with a double hole and a shallow trough between them to give the impression of a pulley wheel inside.

 

The practicum would have the builder make six of these blocks, for three sheaves on each side of the outside hull. There are in fact four sheaves. The fourth one is just under the aft deadeye channel of the foremast. This required that 16 (not 8 or 6) sheave blocks be constructed – 4 per side, outside the hull (8) and 4 per side, inside the hull (8) for a total of 16. This was accomplished by cutting 16, 3/16” long pieces of 1/32” x 3/32” boxwood. Two holes were drilled and a groove chiseled between the holes. Because I didn't want the blocks sticking out, the backsides of the blocks were sanded down as much as I dared to reduce the thickness and the edges tapered so that there were no sharp edges other than the rectangular shape. Without sharp edges hard shadows are hopefully reduced. The idea was to fool the eye into thinking the blocks were flush when they were installed.

[JSGerson]

The blocks were first glued into position on the outer hull. Only one hole had to be drilled through the hull to the inside wall where the line passes through. The other hole in the block is just for show. For the inside sheave block, glue was applied to the block, a pin was place in one of the sheave block holes and then the pin with the block was stuck into the hole in the bulwarks. The sheave block was then slid off the pin and orientated on the bulwark and the pin removed. A final coat of Poly Wipe on the block and it’s done. It sounds way more complicated than it really was.

[Martin W]

Hi Jon -- I like the look of those sheaves.  Unlike you, I simply (and thoughtlessly) followed Bob's method of putting the plain pieces of wood on the outside and nothing on the inside, and the result (I looked at my model last night to see) is a kind of incoherent representation of the sheave.  Like you, I learned a lot from that practicum, but in hindsight have had to wonder about some of the shortcuts.

 

Bravo to you for thinking this through!

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[JSGerson]

I've got to believe what I read somewhere that Bob took a lot of short cuts near the end of the hull building in his Practicum. He stated somewhere earlier that he was building four models and writing their Practicums at once and had deadlines to meet. That would explain why he never finished his model hull or rigged it. At least he provided detailed interpretations of the rigging plans so we could finish.

 

Still, all things considered, if I had to start over, I'd still buy his Practicum. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge there.

[Martin W]

I would probably buy it as well.  It has irritated me many times, but it has also shown me how to do things that I simply did not know before.  And, because of the practicum, I bought a Byrnes saw. 

 

Bob's account of the rigging is based wholly on the Mamoli plans, though, and so you'll have to decide whether the MS plans work better -- or look better.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[scott larkins]

Jon,

 

Nice work.  Glad to see you added to the log.  Was wondering what was next.

[JSGerson]

Scott - This week finds me visiting my spry 95 year old Mom in Florida, so no work on the model till I return.

 

According to the Practicum, there are just a few more items to add to the deck ( sheave structures, cleats, spare masts, etc.) then the last major piece, the ship's boat, which is a little model unto itself. At that point I will have completed all nine chapters of the Practicum for creating the hull. Then the real fun begins - starting the Practicum for the masts, yards, and rigging!

[moreplovac]

The next step is the construction of the grating and “seat of ease” otherwise known as the “head.” Again, for some reason (I suspect Mr. Hunt was running out time to publish the Practicum and he was building four boats at once), the Practicum is totally silence on its construction. For guidance in this phase, I will fall back to fellow Rattlesnake builder, Pasi Ahopelto’s wonderful but now unavailable build log. Luckily I made a copy of it for reference while he was posting.

 

Hi JSGerson

following your build log and enjoying your craftsmanship and good advises. Wondering would it be possible to get a copy of Pasi's log for my references since Rattlesnake is on my to-do list. 

Thanks

[JSGerson]

I collected Pasi's build log as he was creating it and copied it to a Word file for my own use. It's not the complete log as I have deleted what I felt were non essential comments from other followers or I have deleted their screen names if I kept their comments. Because it's edited and technically it's Pasi log. I don't know if I have the right to distribute it. If you can get Pasi's or the Moderator's permission,  I would gladly send it to you.

 

Moderator, can I distribute another member's build log without his permission?

[scott larkins]

Jon,

 

Quick question.  I know you are doing a kit bash but I was wondering something on the deck planking.  I like the idea of the people who have put down a solid piece of wood for the deck and then put the individual planks on.  But how badly would the extra layer of wood mess up the cannon ports, and vertually anything else from the deck up?

[JSGerson]

The deck planking on my model was done per the plans: A false deck made of a single piece of thin wood that came with the kit was installed after the bulkheads were glued to keel.This was the foundation for the deck planking. Where I kit bashed the cabin floor with a checkerboard (per Robert Hunt's Practicum} there is an additional layer to support the the checkerboard. The combined thickness of the support and the checkerboard pieces equals the thickness of the deck planks so there is no difference in height. To ensure that the gun ports were of proper height from the deck planking, I created a heavy stock card cannon. If the cardboard cannon could slide easily through the gunport, it was OK. Other decks (quarterdeck and forecastle) were planked directly onto the ships beams.

 

As for other methods, I can only assume that any change from a kit's plans must be compensated for any change in overall dimensions. This is my first model of this type so I am a bit limited in experience. I don't know if I have answered your question but maybe some other readers of this log can jump in with their ideas.

[Sailor1234567890]

Sweet.

[JSGerson]

Kevels and Chesstrees

 

A kevel is basically a post with a sheave in it. The Practicum calls for eight 3/32” square boxwood ½” long pieces. Once more, like the hull sheaves, Mr. Hunt uses one hole for the sheave. I elected to follow the Mamoli plan which shows two. Actually it shows a representation of pulley wheel as well. Because the side that is to be glued to the inside of the hull is exposed during fabrication, it is possible to create a pseudo wheel which I did. Using my Byrnes saw, I made three 3/64” deep cuts across the side and one more across the top to create a notch for the knighthead. It looks like the knighthead is used to tie off and hang excess line.

Edited April 17, 2014 by JSGerson

[JSGerson]

Using a very fine chisel, the wood material between the lower horizontal cuts was carved to look like the side of a wheel when it will glued in place. Care must be taken here because even a slight slip may cause the chisel to slice through the tiny piece of wood between the cuts.

Edited April 17, 2014 by JSGerson

[JSGerson]

A chesstree is essentially the same as a kevel except it is installed on the outside of the hull and does not have a knighthead.

Edited April 17, 2014 by JSGerson

[JSGerson]

The easy part is gluing them into place. Note two of the kevels are attached to aft rail post where the anchor is tied. The anchor had to be re-tied after the kevel was attached.

Edited April 17, 2014 by JSGerson

[Martin W]

Those are nice kevels there, Jon.  The "pulley" makes a significant improvement on Bob's very simple slot.  I'll have to remember this strategy in the future.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[sport29652]

Great work! I have the proxxon entry level saw. It does ok, but would never be able to cut those notches. Now I want a Byrnes saw ! I think that's gonna be my New Years resolution.

[JSGerson]

The Byrnes saw is a great piece of precision and workmanship. I could not have done many of the things I did without that saw. I also have his dimensional sander and draw plate.

 

I met Jim and his wife at the Nautical Research Guild convention in Charleston SC this past October and they are great people as well. He allowed me to buy an accessory to the saw with no money provided I went online and ordered it when I got home. And because I got it from him directly at the convention, he made sure to deduct the automatic charge for shipping. He backs up his products.

[bdr449]

Jonathan Hello. I would like to draw your attention to the angle of the guys-rigging cleats., they shall be as though continuation of guys. From the picture you'll understand. Sincerely, Igor