Rattlesnake by Ed Ku20 - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Ed Ku20]

The Capstan

 

As mentioned, I decided to scratch build the Capstan.  This looks like a challenging task and I hope I’m ready for it.  On the actual ship there was a double capstan.  The lower half was in the officers’ quarters on the gundeck and the upper half was on the quarter deck.  Since only the upper half is visible on my model, that’s all I plan to build.

 

Pic of the Britannia metal capstan supplied with the kit.  It was useful for taking measurements from.

 

Center Spindle -- I used a ¼” dowel that was cut to a length of 9/16” as determined by the blueprint plans.  Some instructions say to make it into either a hexagon or an octagon.  I decided to just leave it round. 

 

Top Disk – Is a 3-piece sandwich.  The top and bottom were made from birchwood sheet.  I used the top of the Britannia part to trace the size.  I was able to cut these out with curved scissors.  In the center is a thicker notched disk that the bars for turning the capstan are inserted.  I used a 1/16” piece of sheetwood that was cut in a circle with a jewelers saw and then sanded to shape.  Six - 9/64” deep notches were cut around the circumference using a mini-file.

 

Steps to making the top disk parts

 

 

Capstan Bed or Base – The blueprint shows this as a rectangle.  The instruction manual shows it as a circle.  I made a rectangle according to the size shown on the blueprint.  The capstan is supposed to be off center.  I used a piece of birchwood sheet cut to this size.  I glued the dowel to the base before moving on.

 

Here is the dowel glued to the base and next to it is the top disk all glued together

 

Whelps (6 ea.) – A lot of hand sanding was needed to shape the whelps.  I used 1/16” x 1/8” deck planking stripwood.  The height needs to be equal to the center spindle or 9/16” tall.  The Britannia metal part was used to make a sketch of the outside edge of the whelp.  After making the first one, I used it to sketch pencil marks on the others for shaping them.  The 6 whelps were glued to the center spindle and the base.

 

Whelps are prepared and ready for gluing to the center spindle

 

Whelps glued to the center spindle

 

Wedges – Two sets of 6 wedges each are required to fit between the whelps.  These are so tiny; they are hard to make.  Because my whelps are not perfectly fitted evenly around the spindle, each wedge had to be custom made to fit.  After the first one was made, I drew the size on some tracing paper to make the others.  They were slowly sanded until they fit the space between each whelp.  Then I cut them off the piece of stripwood.  After the glue dried, I sanded them down so they were flush in a circle.  I completed the top set first, then the lower set followed.

 

Initial shape traced onto the stripwood

 

Sanded to fit between the whelps.  Note the notch in the front to fit against the dowel

 

Completed wedge cut away from the stripwood

 

First two wedges glued in place

 

Completed capstan after initial sanding

 

Capstan after 3 coats of Minwax Golden Oak

 

All four of the new pieces were given a coat of Minwax satin finish polyurethane

 

I will provide more pics when these pieces are attached to the decks.  I’m not sure what I’m going to work on next.  Options include the fixed gangways with railings, focsl railings, head rails at the bow or the catheads & anchors.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  Are there any reasons to do any of these before the others?

 

Thanks,
Ed

 

 

Edited July 30 by Ed Ku20
Insert pic in correct spot

[JLong]

Hi Ed,

 

Nice work on the scratch built Capstan!. I literally made mine almost exactly as you did, same stain and everything, on the Fair American.

[Ed Ku20]

15 minutes ago, JLong said:

Nice work on the scratch built Capstan!. I literally made mine almost exactly as you did, same stain and everything, on the Fair American.

Just goes to show that great minds think alike!!  Thanks for your comments.

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

The Rattlesnake looks fantastic, Ed.

[Redcoat 1]

Hello, what year did model Shipways release this? Thanks 

 

[Redcoat 1]

Hello, what year did model Shipways release this? Thanks 

 

[Redcoat 1]

Hello, what year did model Shipways release this? Thanks 

 

[Ed Ku20]

On 8/18/2024 at 4:57 PM, Redcoat 1 said:

Hello, what year did model Shipways release this? Thanks 

 

Hello Redcoat!  Looks like you got a little happy with the trigger finger!!

All I can tell you is that the instruction manual that comes with the kit says Copyright 1994.  The intro states that George F. Campbell prepared the blueprint plans for Model Shipways in 1963 as a solid hull model.  Then Ben Lankford converted the plans to a plank-on-bulkhead type hull with the current instruction manual in 1994.  So, either 1963 or 1994 depending on which model type you are talking about.  Hope that is what you wanted to know.

[Ed Ku20]

Fixed Gangway / Stanchions & Balusters / Quarterdeck Fore-Rail

 

Like most builders, I decided I was not going to build the portable gangways that connect the focsl deck with the quarterdeck.  The main reason is that they end up covering the cannons.  The cannons are one of the highlights of the Rattlesnake, IMHO.  Secondly, they were built to be removable and stored.  So, I decided to remove them and store them below deck!

 

The fixed gangway was not removable.  It is an extension off of the quarterdeck.  One on each side.  A handrail connects the railing at the forward end of the quarterdeck with the baluster at the front corner of the gangway.  The plans show that the upper and lower balusters on the gangway had a decorative design to them.  So, all these pieces need to be built together.  I started with the gangway.

 

Fixed Gangway

I made the gangway from the same 1/16” x 1/8” stripwood as the other decks.  According to the plans 4 planks will cover the required width.  The inboard plank has a curved shape to it.  I used lead pencil to blacken one side of the plank to simulate caulking, same as the rest of the planking.  I edge glued these pieces together.  The planks were stained with Minwax Natural to match the decks.  The tricky part was how and where to attach the gangway.  I decided to glue it under the cross beam at the forward edge of the quarterdeck.  Shockingly the port and starboard sides are not exactly the same.  Some fitting was needed on the port side.

 

Four pieces of planking are cut and ready to assemble

 

Edge gluing the planks with lead pencil between

 

Staining.  I taped off the edge that would be under the beam so I could get good adhesion with wood glue

 

Lower Support Balusters for the Gangway

I temporarily clamped each gangway in position to get a measurement for the support post.  I made both the upper and lower balusters from 3/32” square stock.  I found that the build log of Jon Gerson was helpful for carving the posts. A combination of a triangle shaped mini-file and a sanding twig were used to make the decorative design.

 

Ends that needed to stay square were taped off.  Pencil marks are made to indicate the areas to remove wood

 

The two posts after carving and sanding

 

After staining with Minwax Golden Oak, support pins were inserted in the bottom

 

Here is a pic of the gangways and lower balusters after being glued in place

 

Quarterdeck Fore-Rail

This short rail sits all the way forward on the quarterdeck.  I started out by cutting 7 stanchions from 3/32” square stock.  Builders seem to make this rail (and the similar focsl aft-rail) in different ways.  I decided I liked the way David Lester built his rail the best.  It seemed sturdy enough to hold rigging and also looks good.  He made a channel that the stanchions fit in snuggly.  This provides 3 sides for gluing.  I used 3/16” x 1/16” for the top and 3/32” square stripwood for the sides.  A 3/32” square piece was used to make sure the space in the channel was the correct size.  The 3/32” side pieces overlapped the top slightly.  These were sanded flush with the 3/16” top piece after gluing.  I also sanded the bottom down to reduce the height of the rail.  While I was cutting the stanchions I made 7 extras for the Focsl rail.  All the stanchions are cut to a ½”.

 

Pic showing the cut stanchions.  They were stained with Minwax Golden Oak.

 

Three of the stanchions were fitted with a brass pin to secure them when glued.  Only the ends and center one got pins.  The other four were simply glued in between these 3.  Here is the completed channel for the railing.  The tricky part was trimming the stanchions to match the camber of the deck and still keep the rail level!  Lots of sanding and test fitting was needed!  And of course, getting the holes for the 3 pins to align is always fun.

 

Upper Balusters for Handrails

The next step was to carve the upper blusters for the handrails.  These were done similar to the lower ones; except I made a rounded knob at the top.  Brass pins were inserted into the bottom to secure them

 

Pic of the completed rail on the quarterdeck and the balusters for the handrails

 

Handrails for the Fixed Gangways

I made these from 1/32” x 3/32” stripwood.  I used a French curve to find the right bend for the handrails.  Then the wood was soaked in water.  I used the French curve to make a pencil mark on cardboard stock laid over corkboard.  I cut the wood longer then needed.  The stripwood positioned over the pencil marks and held down overnight with push pins.  The next day they were custom fit into the space between the q-deck rail and the balusters.  I rounded off the edges and painted them black.  I glued a couple of tiny pieces of wood to the q-deck stanchions to provide more gluing surface for the handrails.  These handrails are really delicate.  I hope I don’t break them later in the build!  They were a pain to make!

 

I marked the spot with tape on the French curve to match what’s needed on the ship.  This curve was marked on cardboard stock that is pinned to a corkboard

 

Extra long handrails pinned and drying to form a curve

 

Before I attached the handrails I added a few things on the deck.  I glued down 4 eyebolts that need to go on the deck around the main mast, the bilge pumps and the large bitts.  I don’t want to break the handrails sticking my fingers down there afterward!  Then the handrails were glued in place.  Here are some pics of the end result.

 

The next step is to make the center rail on the Focsl Deck.  Let me know what you think of my work.  I always appreciate your feedback & comments.

 

 Thanks for looking in,

 

Ed

[Ed Ku20]

Hey Fellow Rattlesnake Builders,

I'm preparing to make the Focsl Breast Rail, as it is called in the instruction manual.  In researching how others have built the rack of buckets, I'm finding that some builders have placed the buckets on the quarter deck railing.  But the instruction manual states that the buckets are on the focsl breast rail.  I am also finding that there is not enough space between the stanchions if you make it with 7 stanchions.  Builders cut it down to 5 in order to get the buckets to fit in between.  That seems like a good solution to that problem.  Since I've already completed the quarterdeck rail, I am going to go with the focsl rail for the rack of buckets.  Unless someone has a compelling reason to avoid doing this?  I'm just curious.

 

Thanks,

Ed

[Ed Ku20]

Forecastle Top Rails

 

Builders say that the focsl railing is one of the weakest parts of the ship.  I’ve seen the pictures of damaged railings posted on the forum to prove it!  To use the kit supplied parts would require making a 1/16” square tenon at the bottom of the stanchion to fit the pre-cut holes in the cover board.  I don’t have the power tools required to do this easily.  And I don’t want to carve 14 tenons by hand!  Also, the laser cut top rail in the kit is only 3/32” wide.  I intend to build something sturdy.  So, I plan to custom fabricate a 1/16” x 5/32” railing by tracing the cover board on the focsl.  This is also 5/32” wide.  For added strength I plan to insert a 1/16” brass tube in the bottom of 1/8” square stanchions and a 1/32” brass rod (0.032”) in the top.

 

My original plan was to only insert the rod at the top of the stanchion half way into the top rail from the bottom.  But this turned out to be so flimsy I couldn’t even hold it together to do a dry fit.  So, I replaced the rods with 5/128” nails.  I also extended the hole all the way through the rail so it firmly held the stanchion in place.  I pushed the tip into the stanchion and snipped off the head of the nail.  But I’m getting ahead of myself!

 

Construction Steps

1.       Top Rail

a.       Tracing paper was used to trace an outline of the cover board.  It is very important not to forget to mark the location of the stanchion holes in the cover board!  Then transfer this outline to card stock using carbon paper.  Cut this out of the card stock.

b.       Attach the card stock to a piece of 1/16” thick sheetwood.  I cut this out along the outline using a jewelers saw.  Sand it to shape and round off the top edges.  Leave the bottom square.

c.       Flip the tracing paper over and transfer the locations of the holes to the underside of the rails

d.       At first, I used the pin vise to make 1/32” wide x 1/32” deep holes in the underside at these marks.  Later these were extended completely through the rail and widened to 5/128” 

 

2.       Stanchions

a.       Cut 14 - ½” long x 1/8” square pieces.

b.       Drill a 1/16” hole in the bottom of each stanchion.  I used a pin vise starting with a 3/64” pilot hole

c.       Drill a 1/32” hole in the top.  Slide the drill bit in/out to open the hole to 5/128”

d.       Insert a 0.032” brass tube in the bottom hole and cut it off on the chop saw to the length required to fit into the square holes on the cover board.  These varied so I numbered the stanchions by hole

e.       Insert the pointed end of the nail into the top hole.  Use a test piece of 1/16” thick stripwood and cut the flat end off flush.  I filed the cut end after removing it from the test strip.

f.        Mark and drill the holes for the belaying pins in the railings.  The George Campbell plans show 6 holes on each side between the 1^st and 3^rd stanchions.

 

Drilling holes and inserting brass tube & brass rods in each end of the stanchions (pic before I replaced the rod with cut-off nails)

Replacing the smaller rod with cut-off nails.  I pushed the nails in pretty far (about ½”?).  I did not use any CA on these.

Dry fitting the pieces before applying the glue

 

3.       Assembly

a.       Lay the rails top down.  I used Weldbond glue to attach the top end of the stanchions into holes in the rails.  Do a half at a time to reduce setting time for the glue. 

b.       Apply the white glue to the bottom of each stanchion and dab of thick CA into each hole on the cover board to help hold the brass tube in the focsl wood.

 

Rail face down with white glue already applied to the under-rail side and glue dabbed onto the bottom before attaching to the holes in the deck cover boards

 

c.       Press the assembled rail into position on the cover board.  Do all the gluing at one time so there is still a little wiggle remaining to adjust everything.

d.       Last but not least, I applied a little Weldbond to hold the two halves together at the bow. The orange spring clamp you see laying on the desk was used to hold it while the glue dried

 

Assembled rails before painting

 

 

4.       Finishing

a.       Once the glue had dried overnight, I painted everything with two coats of black acrylic paint.  I refrained from painting beforehand to get maximum adhesion with the glue.

b.       I plan to install the belaying pins now.  I will blacken them, same as the brass cannons.  I will do that after the breast rail is completed on the focsl.  This also has quite a few belaying pins and both can be done at the same time.

 

Focsl Top Rail after painting

 

The next step is to make the Breast Rail that sits at the aft edge of the focsl deck.  This will be made the same way as the rail on the quarterdeck.

 

Thanks for looking in,

Ed

[Gregory]

Great work on that railing.

 

[GGibson]

Nice rail work, Ed! 🏆

 

I know I am late to the game in following your Rattlesnake build, but this is the first I've noticed how you've got your ship strapped down on the foam cradle!  Like you're hauling all of your earthly possessions cross-country in the back of a pickup! Love it! 👍👍🤣

Edited September 4 by GGibson

[Ed Ku20]

3 hours ago, GGibson said:

Nice rail work, Ed! 🏆

 

I know I am late to the game in following your Rattlesnake build, but this is the first I've noticed how you've got your ship strapped down on the foam cradle!  Like you're hauling all of your earthly possessions cross-country in the back of a pickup! Love it! 👍👍🤣

Gregg, I actually used an Amiti Keel Klamp on this build up until about post #80.  I had the ship turned upside down while planking the hull and I snapped one of the bulkheads in half at the clamp when pushing on an especially difficult plank!  I messed up the hull pretty good and had to do some major repair work.  I switched over to the cardboard wine bottle packaging and haven't switched back.  I added the foam pad after the hull was painted.  This rig keeps the ship closer to the desk and I've gotten used to doing it this way!

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

Ed

[Ed Ku20]

Forecastle Breast Rail

I made the focsl breast rail with the same design as the quarterdeck fore rail.  There are some differences between the two.  This rail has a shelf or rack that is used to hold buckets.  In order for the buckets to fit between the stanchions you need to reduce the number of stanchions from 7 to 5.  The rail is fitted with 12 belaying pins, according to the plans.

 

In an earlier post I asked the question, why do some builders place the buckets on the q-deck rail instead of the focsl, as indicated in the instruction manual?  If I had to do this step over I would do it different.  First, I would have placed the buckets on the q-deck rail.  Second, I would have made the stanchions a little taller.  The reason being that the focsl breast rail is too crowded with the buckets plus the belaying pins.  My buckets were a bit too tall for ½” stanchions, so this required some adjusting.  Or else I should have purchased smaller buckets!  But supposedly, these fit the scale.  Oh well, I made it work.

 

I had one issue with the construction of the bucket rack.  I used 1/16” thick sheetwood.  As I was cutting out the last hole for the bucket, the board split on a line right down the middle along the grain.  Between the holes for the stanchions and the buckets to fit through, there wasn’t much wood left to reinforce the grain.  I was able to glue it back together with PVA, but decided not to continue drilling that last hole.  I will just stand this bucket on the deck like it was being used by one of the sailors!  When you encounter issues, you must get creative!

 

I am not going to show pics for making the rail, since I covered this with the q-deck rail in post #189.  Here are my build steps with a few pics.

 

1.       When I cut stanchions using 3/32” square stock for the q-deck, I also cut 7 more for these.  I only ended up using 5 of them.  Insert brass pins in 3 of them for the center post and both ends.

2.       Make the breast rail.  Cut a 3/16” x 1/16” piece of stripwood at 1-15/16”.  Cut 2 pieces of 1/16” square stock the same length.  Glue the pieces to form a U-shaped channel. 

3.       Sand the assembly to 1/8” tall to accommodate the belaying pins later.  Round off the top edge.  Hand paint it with Vallejo black acrylic.

4.       Mark the positions of the 5 stanchions, after staining them Golden Oak, do a test fit and adjust the stanchions for deck camber.

5.       Drill holes in the rail for the belaying pins

6.       Glue the stanchions in position.  Make sure they are square to the rail.  Spacing the stanchions evenly is important.

 

7.       Cut an appropriately sized piece of stripwood for the bucket rack.  Make square holes for the stanchions by standing the assembly on the rack/shelf.  Drill/file holes for the buckets in between the stanchion holes.  This is when I split the entire piece down the middle!  Note that the round hole on the left side is smaller!  I was afraid to take off any more wood.

 

8.       Tie ropes to each bucket and glue them in their place on the rack.  Glue the bucket rack in position on the stanchions.  I kept the rack as close to the deck as possible as I did not have much head space above.

9.       Mark the position of the assembly on the deck by pressing the pins gently into the deck.  Glue it in place.

10.   I also glued the Topsail Sheet Bitts in front of the foremast hole.  2 eyebolts were also placed in position on either side of the foremast according to the plans.

 

Here are a few pictures showing the forecastle deck and the entire deck at this stage in the build.

 

I hope this information is helpful to others building the Rattlesnake.  My next steps are to work on the Catheads and also build the ladders to the gundeck.

 

Thanks,

Ed

[GGibson]

Looks really good, Ed!  Sorry for the old topic on something you did a while back, but I am lovin' the look of all those rope coils!  What size of rope are you using for these on the Rattlesnake? 👍🏆

 

EDIT:  Oops!  Found your rope-coil-making post on #177! Nice little jig, makes sense! 

Edited September 12 by GGibson

[Dave_E]

Ed, your cruising! Outstanding work and detail brother! Can’t wait to see your rigging! 👍😀

[Ed Ku20]

1 hour ago, Dave_E said:

Ed, your cruising! Outstanding work and detail brother! Can’t wait to see your rigging! 👍😀

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the kind words!  I purchased the practicum from Lauck Street Shipyard called "Junior Course for Rattlesnake Masting & Rigging".  Based on my early research rigging this ship is pretty complex.  I'll let you know if this info is worth the purchase price once I get into it.  Are you ever planning to get back in the shipyard to finish your 'Snake?  Hope you are doing well.

 

Ed

[Ed Ku20]

14 hours ago, GGibson said:

EDIT:  Oops!  Found your rope-coil-making post on #177! Nice little jig, makes sense! 

Hi Gregg, I'm glad you found that post.  I was going to point that out for you, but you beat me to it.  To answer your question, I used the Model Shipways supplied rope.  They call it 0.021" Diameter Manila Hemp.  It's part number WP1242.  I consider it a medium weight rope.  It took me a while to finally come up with that jig.  I've seen other jigs for rope coils, but this one works well for me.

 

Ed

[Ed Ku20]

Deck Ladders / Anchor Cables / Catheads / Misc. Eyebolts & Ringbolts

 

Deck Ladders

Four ladders are required if you do not make the removable gangways.  Two ladders are used to get from the gundeck to the quarterdeck.  Two more are needed to go from the gundeck to the forecastle deck.  I used the same ladder jig that I created in post #155 for the quarterdeck ladderway.

I started with the q-deck ladders.  I measured the height and width for the space.  The starboard and port sides are slightly different.  Port is narrower!  An angle of 63 degrees is typical, according to my research.  Four treads (stairsteps) are required for these.  The stiles are cut to a 63-degree angle.

 

Here are the cut-out pieces ready for the jig

The treads are arranged in the jig and then the stiles are glued to each side

 

Stained with Minwax Golden Oak

 

Glued in place.  I should have accounted for the camber of the deck with the stiles!

 

Anchor Cables

According to the plans the anchor ropes or cables are 3-1/2” in diameter.  At model scale this is almost 1/16”.  The heaviest rope in the kit is the 0.04” Manila Hemp that I planned to use.  This is a little smaller than 1/16”, but I’m going to use it anyway!  I blocked off access to the rope holes in the bow with my “manger board”.  I knew this at the time and planned to fake it with separate pieces of rope on each side.  Six ringbolts are used to guide the rope along the deck.  The plans show the ropes looping around the heavy wooden riding bitts before disappearing under the focsl deck.  The rope also “disappears” into the large hatch on the gundeck.  I used a few dabs of gap-filling CA glue to hold the ropes in position.

 

View of the anchor cables looking aft

 

View of the anchor cables looking forward

 

Catheads

The Catheads hold the anchor when it is not being used.  These are a pair of heavy timbers that overhang from the focsl deck.  According to the plans the timbers are to be 5/32” x 3/32”.  No such size is provided in the kit.  The closest piece of stripwood I have is 3/16” square which was left over from my Bluenose build.  I sanded this down on the bottom to reduce the height by 1/32”.  It doesn’t appear to me that it looks out of scale. 

 

It took me a while to wrap my head around the rigging that needs to be attached.  It didn’t take long to decide that I didn’t want to add the Cat Stopper!  Different sets of instructions call for anywhere from a single to triple block to be rigged.  The consensus (and the one that made the most sense to me) was a double block.  I inserted a brass pin in the deck end to secure it in place when gluing.  I still need to make the anchors themselves.

 

Five holes were drilled for rigging.  The two pairs are connected to simulate pulley wheels.  Cleats are attached.

A double block is stropped with a hook.  I left some excess rope at the end until the anchors are attached.

 

Miscellaneous Hardware

At this time, I also added a few other items on the focsl deck.  The two extra Kevels I made a long time ago were attached to the inside of the end stanchions.  Belaying pins were added to the railing and a pair of eyebolts and ringbolts into the deck.

 

Birdseye view of the Gundeck & Focsl as of today

 

Next steps include adding more miscellaneous hardware to the quarterdeck.  Then the final steps: Head Rails, Gunport lids, Figurehead, Channels and Anchors are left to do.  Also, the Ship’s Longboat, before masting & rigging can begin.  On October 8^th I will reach the 2-year mark on this Rattlesnake build!

 

Best regards,
Ed

[Dave_E]

On 9/12/2024 at 11:18 AM, Ed Ku20 said:

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the kind words!  I purchased the practicum from Lauck Street Shipyard called "Junior Course for Rattlesnake Masting & Rigging".  Based on my early research rigging this ship is pretty complex.  I'll let you know if this info is worth the purchase price once I get into it.  Are you ever planning to get back in the shipyard to finish your 'Snake?  Hope you are doing well.

 

Ed

Thanks Ed. I’m book marking your work for sure. My shipyard is still here, I’ve just found more to do being retired than I ever thought I would. Gardening, small vinyard, guitar making and playing, trap shooting, reloading, housekeeping stuff, hanging out with my best friend (wife), always doing something. As you progress with the rigging, we’ll talk.

 

Dave

[GGibson]

Great work on your Rattlesnake, Ed!  Very impressive!