Rattlesnake by Ed Ku20 - Model Shipways - 1:64

[Dave_E]

Don’t hijack the thread. 😀👍 Thanks for your detailed explanations on your build Ed! 

[DARIVS ARCHITECTVS]

3 minutes ago, Dave_E said:

Don’t hijack the thread. 😀👍 Thanks for your detailed explanations on your build Ed! 

Sorry for hijacking the thread!  Back to Rattlesnake build talk...

[Ed Ku20]

 

I haven’t posted any progress in a while.  Not as much ship time.  Summer activities take over this time of year!  I have been working on the molding strips and fashion pieces.  I spent a lot of time trying to carve wood for these!  The scrap bin is over-flowing!!

 

Step 29: Clean & Fit Quarterbadges

Before I installed the hull molding & covering strips, I figured I should determine the location of the Quarterbadges.  I cleaned up the Britannia metal pieces provided in the kit using files and carving burrs in the Dremel.  The final step was to clean them in an ultrasonic jewelry bath to remove any tarnish and oil residue.  I used a copy of the quarterdeck plans, clothes pinned to the ship, to locate the position for these pieces on the port & starboard sides. I made a pencil outline on the hull.  I intend to install the full length of the molding strips and then cut away the section where the Quarterbadges will be attached later.  This is as far as I went with these at this time.

 

Step 30: Install Hull Molding & Covering Strips

There are two thin wood strips that serve as decorative molding on both sides of the ship.  The Molding Strip runs the entire length of the ship.  It fits just under the overhang of the main deck rail at midship. It extends forward 1 strake below the focsl railing and aft along the quarter deck hull to the transom.  The Covering strip is only found on the quarter deck, 1 strake above the molding strip. 

 

Both strips have a decorative shape carved into them.  The full-length molding strip is supposed to have an extended outside ridge in the center.  The Covering strip has a U-shaped inside cut carved into the center.  I bought the Artesenia metal scrappers to make these cuts.  Unfortunately, they use metric measure and the kit wood is in US fractional measurement.  So, some “improvisation” is required to achieve the desired result.

 

I did the molding strip first.  I tried using a half of one of the shapes and scrapped each side by flipping the strip.  The “outie” cut turned out kind of narrow.  I glued it on anyway and moved on to the covering strip.  I was able to make a nice clean cut for the covering strip U-shape.  As soon as I glued this strip on the rear Q-deck, I was unhappy with the way the molding strip looked by comparison.  Eventually, I ripped the molding strip off and replaced it with another U-shaped strip that was the same as the covering board.  Not what the plan calls for, but I like the way it looks much better!  Here are some pictures.

 

Artesania Scrapper & 1/32” x 3/32” Stripwood

 

Close-up of how I used the scrapper to cut the center groove, one side at a time.  Improvisation!

 

The finished molding and covering strips glued in place on the hull

 

I completed the Counter Timbers and Fashion Pieces today and I will make a separate post for them soon.

 

Thanks,
Ed

 

[javajohn]

Ed,

 

Your moldings look fantastic! 

[Dave_E]

WAY nice Ed! 👍😀

[Ed Ku20]

Stage C  Hull – Miscellaneous Pieces & Painting

 

Step 31: Carve & Install Counter Timbers & Fashion Pieces

I’ve seen a lot of different ways that shipwrights have completed these decorative pieces on the aft hull sides.  Allan (Allanyed) said in a post on Dave_E’s log that the upper portion is called the “Counter Timbers” and the lower piece is referred to as the “Fashion Piece” in the instruction manual for Rattlesnake.  In the interest of accuracy, I bow to Allan’s expertise on this terminology!  Most modelers seem to leave the decorative timbers off.  My Bluenose called for a fashion piece in the same position, but I was too much of a newbie to attempt to carve it!  I decided I wanted to try my hand at creating these pieces for the Ratt.  This is my “interpretation”.  Here are the pieces in question from the prints…

 

I started with the Fashion Pieces.  The difficult part of this is that the piece curves on two different planes.  You have to select a piece of strip wood that is wide enough in both directions to take the widest part of the curve on each side.  I selected one of the wood strips from a bundle of basswood that I purchased some time ago that is 3/8 x ¼”. 

 

I started out by creating a template off the plans and marked up the wood strip.  My first effort was just horrible!  Here is a pic for your laugh of the day…

 

But this first attempt taught me a few things.  And I kept at it until I made something that resembled what I’ve seen in a few different build logs.

 

The next step was to create the Counter Timbers.  I tried to carve something that looked like the piece in the blueprint plans.  I quickly realized this was beyond my skill.  I think I used too thick of a piece of stripwood and there was too much open space between the carvings.  I spent a lot of hours on this and then decided to add them to the scrap pile! 

 

I used a thinner piece of stripwood and made a simpler design to represent my interpretation of the decorative counter timber.  I put the transom in position temporarily to get the 4 carved pieces to fit snuggly up against it.

 

After gluing the pieces in place, I decided the fashion pieces still looked a little too thick & heavy.  I sanded them down a lot more.  They actually look slimmer to the eye than they look in the pics below.

 

I have one more step before airbrushing primer over the entire hull.  I need to add the stair steps on the outside of the hull.  These are shown in the plans.  Question: Does anyone know if these steps need to be installed on both sides of the hull or just the starboard?

 

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have.

 

Thanks,

Ed

Edited July 31, 2023 by Ed Ku20
Remove smiley face!

[Gregory]

2 hours ago, Ed Ku20 said:

Question: Does anyone know if these steps need to be installed on both sides of the hull or just the starboard?

Just thinking out loud, I would think steps on the  port side would make sense..😁

[Ed Ku20]

25 minutes ago, Gregory said:

I would think steps on the  port side would make sense..

I'm going to assume you mean steps on both the starboard and port side.  It makes sense to me too.

Thanks Gregory!

[Gregory]

Yes..  I was trying to be funny..

[Kenneth Powell]

Steps on both sides, please. Your counter timbers and fashion pieces are great!

 - Kenneth

[Ed Ku20]

STAIR STEPS

I got the stair steps installed on both side of the ship.  I used a 1/32" square piece of stripwood to cut 1/4" long stair steps.  I made a little cardboard jig to get the length and spacing uniform.  Here are a couple pics.

 

I am in the process of painting the hull with primer.  Had to break out my airbrush for this.  Took me a little practice to get back into the groove with airbrushing.  I'll post some pictures when I've got it ready.

 

[Ed Ku20]

Step 32:  PAINT THE HULL

I just hit another milestone on my Rattlesnake.  I finished painting the hull.  I used a combination of airbrush and hand brush painting to apply 4 colors:  Tallow or Ivory below the waterline, Black & Yellow Ochre on the outer bulwarks, Red on the inside bulwarks and Aquamarine Blue for accent trim.  But the first step was to Airbrush Tamiya white primer over everything that was to be painted.  Primer really brings out the imperfections in the planking job!  I spent some time adding more filler and sanding to smooth things out.  But I didn’t go too crazy with the filler!  Here are pictures after a couple of rounds of priming and sanding.  Now I’m ready to paint some colors.

 

It’s best to start with the lighter color paint and end with the black.  Next, I taped off the upper hull in preparation to airbrush the Tallow below the waterline.  I actually taped just below the Wale, since I didn’t care about getting this whitish paint where I was planning to paint the black.  Here are a few pictures showing my operation in the middle of airbrushing the tallow.  I took a couple of shots of the area in the corner of my basement where I have my homemade paint spray booth set up.  Thought maybe a few of you might be interested?  The last shot includes my Paasche Talon airbrush.  I’ve had good success with this airbrush.  But you really need to use paint that is made for airbrushing.  Otherwise, it tends to plug up, even when you use thinner.

 

For the next step I reapplied with a hand brush the red on the inboard bulwarks.  I did 3 more coats.  Next, I taped right at the Wale using Tamiya yellow tape.  This stuff really forms a nice tight seal.  Then I used regular masking tape to cover the lower hull with a plastic grocery store bag to protect the tallow paint.  I also plugged the gunport and oar port holes.  I bought a set of various size widths of automotive detail tape for my last ship.  I found the width that fit perfectly in the strake that would be painting aquamarine blue.  Then I airbrushed the Yellow Ochre.  I applied at least 5 thin coats. 

 

I decided to hand paint the black.  I started at the top with the quarter deck and railings.  Then I taped off the area between the wale and the waterline before brush painting the black there.  Finally, I removed the automotive tape and painted the aquamarine blue stripe on this strake of planking.  After some touch-up work, I took the following pictures.

 

I’m working on the Quarter Badges right now.  Then the next big task is the decks.  I’m going to wait until the decks are done before installing the Focsl railings.  Just another item that is susceptible to breakage!

 

Thanks for looking in!

Ed

[Dave_E]

Outstanding! Really looking good Ed! When I get around to it, your choice of colors and scheme will probably get duplicated. 😆

[Ed Ku20]

1 hour ago, Dave_E said:

Outstanding! Really looking good Ed! When I get around to it, your choice of colors and scheme will probably get duplicated. 😆

Thanks Dave!  The saying goes, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"!!  If you are interested, I can provide you with the Vallejo paint colors that I used.  I hope to see you back in the shipyard before too long!

[Dave_E]

Thanks Ed, I bought the MS paint set for the Rattler, however, I won't use the hull paint they have in the set... It's too dark for my liking, kind of like an almond brownish, sort of, kinda. 😆 I have taken the summer off, big garden, golf, good weather etc.. However, I bring up the forum everyday and keep in touch with the folks and the builds I'm watching (especially the rattlers). 👍 😀

[javajohn]

Wow, Ed, she looks great! I've been considering precisely the same colors for my Rattlesnake! I saw an image of another Rattlesnake build with this color scheme and really liked it, but it is really uncommon. Also, all of the Winchelsea builds on the forum have me thinking this way. The blue (I assume Prussian Blue?) really makes it pop. How did you come to decide on the colors?

 

 

 

 

[Ed Ku20]

51 minutes ago, javajohn said:

The blue (I assume Prussian Blue?) really makes it pop. How did you come to decide on the colors?

Hi John.  Thanks for the comments!  First off, I do not like the Model Shipways paints.  I had a lot of problems with the ones I bought from them for my Buenose build.  I returned them for a refund, but they said they never received them.  So, I was out the money and the paint!  Very disappointing.  Since then, I found that Vallejo paint works the best for me.

 

Vallejo calls the color Ultramarine Blue.  I mistakenly identified it as "aquamarine" blue in my post.  It's one of their Model Colors, not Model Air.  So, it's thicker and made to be brushed on.  I spent a lot of time working on the color scheme.  I knew what colors I needed and I studied the color pallet for Vallejo paints to find the shades I liked best for each color.  I identified 3 builds that I liked and made a spreadsheet.  Then I made notes on what I liked and disliked about each one.  I kept making adjustments and finally came up with the combination that you see.  I'm very happy with the way it turned out!

Edited August 27, 2023 by Ed Ku20
Correction

[Kenneth Powell]

I can only echo the earlier comments.

Great job.

 

- Kenneth

[Ed Ku20]

PAINT & ATTACH THE QUARTER BADGES

Before starting to work on the decks, I decided to complete the Quarter Badges.  I cleaned them up earlier when I needed to mark their position relative to the molding strips.  Now I needed to paint them and add windows and frames.  I wanted to use a paint scheme that was similar to what I used on the decorative transom piece.  The plan is to have a base layer of ultramarine blue and gold (actually it’s Testors brass enamel) on the carvings.  In order to achieve this, I used a technique I found on the forum.  I can best explain this by showing pictures of the process.

 

Step 1 is to paint the badges entirely with the brass enamel.  This takes 48 hours to dry completely.

 

 

Step 2 is to paint the badges entirely again with the blue

 

 

Step 3 is to use isopropyl alcohol to rub off the blue and expose the brass underneath.  I use a dental cotton swab to do this.  I only allowed the acrylic blue paint to dry for about 30 minutes before rubbing it off.

 

 

The quarter badges after removing the blue from the carved areas

 

 

Step 4, I came back with a super fine brush and touched up the brass to make it look brighter and crisper.  Here is what it looks like on the ship before adding the windows

 

 

I added “windows” made from clear plastic packaging.  This was painted on the inside with blue-gray acrylic like on the transom windows.  Window frames were made with really small stripwood and painted with yellow ochre.  Here is what they look like after gluing them to the hull

 

 

I’m working on planking the gun deck now.

 

Thanks for looking in!

Ed

[Dave_E]

Nice! 👍😀

[javajohn]

Very nice work, Ed!

 

How much work did it take to prepare them for painting? I left them off my model mainly due to the poor quality. I'm not sure I'd be able to make them look good.

[Ed Ku20]

1 hour ago, javajohn said:

How much work did it take to prepare them for painting?

Hi John,

Thanks!  It took a bit of work to get them looking halfway decent.  I used some mini-files to reshape the metal.  Then I used a pointy burr in my Dremel to deepen some of the spots where they just left a pool of molten metal.  I used sanding sticks to smooth the edges and finally a polishing wheel on the Dremel to get all the tarnish off.  I'm satisfied with the way they turned out.  I used the same prep on the transom decoration.  But, since there was more space to work between the carving and the background, I decided to just brush paint blue color directly.  I didn't try to use the alcohol wipe method on it.

 

I like your Gunport lid.  I have to figure out how best to do mine, since I didn't put any holes for them on the stern.

 

Keep up the good work!

Ed

 

 

[Kenneth Powell]

They look great - worth the effort.

 

- Kenneth

[Theodosius]

Good idear with this colour-layering approach on the cast side-pockets(?).

[Ed Ku20]

STAGE D – Plank Decks, Install Gunport Lids, Rudder

 

I’m on to Stage D in my build process.  This is primarily planking the decks and installing the various parts and pieces that are required along the way.  I plan to do the Gun Deck first followed by the Quarter Deck and finally the Forecastle Deck.  You could lay planks from stem to stern with no butt joints, but the deck looks much nicer and is more accurate if you cut the planks and insert butt joints. 

 

You need to have a plan for staggering the joints.  I found an excellent write-up on the NRG forum.  This explains it better than I ever could!  Here is the link:  https://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Deck_PlankingIIbuttshifts.pdf

 

 I used this on my Bluenose build.  It’s called a 5, 2, 4, 1, 3 pattern.  The pattern is based on the number of planks between butt joints.  In this pattern there is a joint every 5^th plank.  The joints are set on top of a bulkhead.  Start at the center line of the keel and place a #5 plank to the starboard side and a #3 plank on the port side.  It is critically important that these are straight and square to the CL.  Then I alternate port and starboard adding planks using the pattern.

 

Normally there would be 5 bulkheads covered by 1 plank.  I did not run the deck strakes the full length from A to M on the gun deck since the ends are covered by the Focsl and Q-Decks.   So, no joints were inserted under the focsl or aft of BHD I, which is under the cabin wall.  This resulted in just needing 1 butt joint between bulkheads D and I for each run.  I simply extended the plank on each side of the joint to either BHD B or to L.  I decided to plank under the quarter deck so that the hole for the stairsteps didn’t reveal any unplanked areas.  I made BHD B the #5 in order to make everything come out the way I wanted. 

 

Here is the Gun Deck Planking Plan I made for myself

 

I laid the two planks at the center line simultaneously to keep them straight and square to the bulkheads.  The #5 plank stops at BHD G.  The #3 plank butts on top of BHD E.

 

I used this type of lead pencil to color the starboard edge and forward edge of each plank to simulate caulking.  This really stands out after the deck is stained and sealed with polyurethane.  If you look closely, you can see the black on the edge of the plank.

 

Next the #2 plank (BHD D) was laid on the starboard side and #1 (BHD H) on the port.  At this time, I also drilled holes in the deck planks where the mast holes need to be located.

 

More planks are added on each side

 

As the planking fills the space it gets harder to use clips to hold them in place.  Eventually I just had to use my fingers to hold planks in place

 

At the end, I simply rounded off the forward edge to match the curvature of the waterway.  On the last 2 planks I glued the small partial plank to the longer one just inside of it.  I sanded them until the whole assembly fit into the gap.  Then glued them in place as a single piece.

 

I inserted a piece of a bulkhead cutout just behind the slot for the bowsprit at BHD B.  I painted it the same red color as the bulwarks.  This will block the view of the unfinished part of the ship under the focsl deck.  Here is a good view of the finished gun deck

 

The next step is to stain the gun deck.  This needs to be done now, because I will not be able to access under the upper decks once they are installed.  I also need to set-up the 4 cannons that will be located under the focsl deck.  It seems that a lot of Rattlesnake builders leave the decks unstained and just apply some varnish or poly.  I like the richness that comes from the stain.  I’m considering 2 options.  In the picture below I test stained the piece of mini decking I made for the cannon gunport checks a while back.  On the left is Minwax Natural and on the right is Weathered Oak.  My wife likes the Natural.  She says the Weathered Oak looks dirty.  I’m looking for some feedback.  What did you use or what do you plan to use?  Which of these do you like?

 

As always, I appreciate everyone’s feedback.

Thanks,

Ed

[whitejamest]

Personally I like the Minwax Natural look, though neither is a bad option. Nice looking deck, well done. 

[Ed Ku20]

Build/Install Cabin Wall; Stain Gundeck; Attach Transom

 

The cabin wall should be added before planking the Quarter Deck.  It just makes it easier to insert the wall and make sure it is straight.  I started out by using the BHD I knockout to cut out the initial shape from a 5/32” piece of sheet wood.  A lot of sanding was required to get the piece to fit.  Then I used my impress tools to make the designs on the wall per the plan.  However, when I finished painting the impressions with black paint, I just wasn’t happy with the result.  It's really difficult to make a clean impression across the grain.  So, I tossed this into the scrap bin and started over.  Here is the first attempt.

 

 

On my second attempt, I made a 2-piece sandwich out of 1/16^th sheet wood.  It looked to me like this is what Kenneth Powell did in his build log.  The inset parts from the plan were cutout of the top piece using an Exacto knife.  This was laid over a yellow ochre painted piece behind.  I decided to keep it simple by only painting these areas yellow.  Then added 5 pieces of stripwood between the 4 sections and painted them red.

 

 

I made windows out of plastic packaging as before, framed them and attached crossbars.  I made some tiny door handles from brass rod and hinges from black card stock.  I was much happier with the way this turned out.

 

 

Before I glued the wall in place, I had two tasks to do.  Task #1: I ripped out the beam in front of bulkhead support I.  I removed the old one and cut a longer one that was sanded lengthwise to fit.  I  used my scrappers to make the fancy front edge.  I soaked it in water and rubber banded it to the knockout to get the camber.  Unfortunately, it didn’t have quite enough bend in the middle.  So, I sanded the deck support to make them both flush.  I plan to stop the quarter deck flush before this beam.  I will stain it the same as the deck, rather than painting it a different color.

 

Task #2 was to stain the gundeck.  This needs to be done before planking the quarter deck.  I was debating between the Minwax Natural or the Weathered Oak stain.  I thought I liked the weathered look, but before I committed, I decided to make a test strip at the very aft of the ship, hidden under the quarter deck.  I decided that this stain was too grey looking.  So, I went with the Natural stain.  I like the clean look it produced.  After the hatches, etc. are glued to the deck I will apply Minwax Satin Wipe-on  poly.  Wood glue won’t stick well to poly.

 

Stained Gundeck

 

Completed Cabin Wall

 

And finally with these recent steps, I finished the stern rail and permanently attached the transom piece.  I laid a piece between the side rails and sanded it down to smooth the joints.  I could not make any decent looking supports underneath the rail.  Space is too small on my model.  So left it open.

 

Next, I installed the transom.  I glued some extra supports on the stern block to help hold it in place.  These were sanded at an angle to match the transom piece.  I used Weldbond to attach the transom at all the touch points.  Rubber banded it on overnight to allow the glue to set.  I think the transom really makes the ship look awesome!

 

 

I appreciate any of your thoughts or comments.  The next step is to plank the quarter deck.  Tapering the planks to fit well is always a challenge!

 

Thanks,

Ed

[GGibson]

Hi Ed! Great work so far on your Rattlesnake.  Catching up on your build log here after referring back to your Bluenose log several times so far for guidance and info.  Looking forward to seeing this Rattlesnake come together for you.

[javajohn]

Nice work, Ed! Your Rattlesnake is really looking good.

[Ed Ku20]

On 10/18/2023 at 10:48 PM, GGibson said:

Hi Ed! Great work so far on your Rattlesnake.  Catching up on your build log here after referring back to your Bluenose log several times so far for guidance and info.  Looking forward to seeing this Rattlesnake come together for you.

Hi Gregg!  Thanks for looking in and also for your kind words.  Awesome that you have been able to find some useful information from my Bluenose build log.  I enjoy sharing more of the "how I made this" details.  I really like when I find good tips for the step I'm working on at the time!  I see from your project list that you are into schooners.  I really liked building my Bluenose.  I wanted to build a square-rigged ship that had some cannons for my second build.  Rattlesnake is certainly fitting the bill!  I was checking out your Bluenose build.  Looks like you've got a really nice build going with your model!  Keep up the good work!

 

Ed