Rattlesnake by Kenneth Powell - FINISHED - Model Shipways - American Privateer

[Kenneth Powell]

I can't believe it's been this long since I've posted.

I did complete the lower shrouds.

Thank goodness the wood is patient.

 

Comments welcomed.

Stay Safe - Kenneth

[Dave_E]

Hi Ken, how’s the build coming along?

[Kenneth Powell]

Hey Dave -

Thanks for looking in. The build is going slow. Life and stuff always seem to get in the way.

The heat index today should top at 112 here on the MS gulf coast so I think I'll stay in and work on upper shrouds.

 

- Kenneth

[Dave_E]

Yikes! Way to hot for me! Understand about life and stuff, happens to us all. 😁 Glad a fellow Rattlesnake builder is still around. 👍😀 STAY COOL!

[Kenneth Powell]

Upper shrouds. Man, these things are small.

I tried to add the metal hook and all but decided to make this way. Trying to solve that issue is another thing that put me so far behind.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

 

[Dave_E]

😳😁 Are the deadeyes loose enough to turn for alignment when it’s time to install? Actually, looks like you got them pretty aligned. 👍

[Kenneth Powell]

I certainly hope so, Dave

[Kenneth Powell]

I finished all the shrouds and thing did line up - mostly.

I'll work to complete the standing rigging.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

 

[Kenneth Powell]

I've been working on backstays. The plans call to use thimbles. The way I made them was to bore a hole into the end of a dowel then slice them off. When I used what I considered the appropriate size, they split. The instruction book said it's possible to hollow out a deadeye, but they split. What worked for me was to go up very little in size on the dowel and bore the smallest hole possible that would accept the rigging line. It took a while to sand them under magnification. They look a little oversized and a touch out of scale compared to the plans, but here they are:

  

This is how the plan looks:

This is how my model looks: 

I have a bunch more thimbles to make and a few backstays to finish.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[JSGerson]

You might consider using brass tubing to make tiny thimbles. Obviously, the hole is already there. All you have to do is slice them off the tubing and paint. If you need to carve a groove on the outside perimeter of the thimble, place the ring on a tapered mandrel which will hold the ring tight while you file the groove.  Wood becomes very weak at that scale as you have found out, whereas the metal thimbles remain strong and won't break. At this scale it will be impossible for the viewer to know what material they are are made of. It's a model, not a reproduction,

 

Jon

Edited October 1, 2022 by JSGerson

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks JS. 

I'll look into it.

- Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

Jon -

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it and it worked. I used the rotary tool to cut small slices then painted and rigged them up.

I actually lowered the tool and tube into a cardboard box while wearing safety glasses to keep the micro-sized disks from flying away - or putting an eye out.

 

This is why I like this group. Excellent tips from very talented people with no criticism, just encouragement.

Ratlines are next.

Comments welcome - Kenneth

 

 

[JSGerson]

Glad to be of help.

[Kenneth Powell]

Working on upper ratlines.

In the photo above it seems I'm off a little from my lines, but when I pull the paper up close things are right-on.

Slow going but once I can sit for a while and get in a rhythm, it really moves along.

One thing that has helped is that I moved the model from my basement with no natural light to my sunroom with northern exposure. Here in the Gulf South I get plenty of indirect sunlight year-round.

I can see better and natural light improves my mood to tackle these tedious or what I preserve as difficult items.

 

I'll march on and complete the ratlines.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Dave_E]

Go Man Go! (But not too fast) 😆 Looking good Ken! 👍😀

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks Everyone for the likes and comments.

- Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

All upper and lower mizzen complete.

 

I hope I'm getting better at this, can't tell.

Comments Welcome.

Thanks - Kenneth

[Dave_E]

Nice work Ken! 👍😀

[Oldsalt1950]

Looking good Ken. The lines look like they could use just a bit more tightening.

 

Jim

[Kenneth Powell]

Milestone!!

All ratlines completed!

I've never worked on shrouds and ratlines like this before, so I really feel accomplished. It seems the more I did, the easier it got and better they appeared:

Now on to a few details and then gaff, boom, and spars. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[javajohn]

Nice work, Ken! She looks Beautiful!

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks Everyone for the Likes and comments.

I built and installed the 3 netting guard rails. I cut the heads off long straight pins and cut them to length. The netting is what my Admiral suggested from the craft store.

These photos show how my ratlines improved from upper to lower.

I also have the gaff, boom, and spars cut to length from appropriately sized dowels.

I'll be working on those next. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to All!

Comments welcome

- Kenneth

 

[Dave_E]

Looking good Ken! How did you get your plans with the red in them? 🙏🎄

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks, all for the likes.

Dave -

The Model Shipways kit I have came with 4 pages on 2 sheets of plans (front and back). This is the only page for rigging. They put the standing rigging in black and the running rigging in red.

This combination makes the one page really jumbled. Thank goodness others have built and logged this model before me and I can see how it's supposed to be.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

 

And again, everyone have a great holiday season.

[Kenneth Powell]

Just a quick photo.

The Admiral loves to cross-stich and makes several Christmas ornaments for gifts each year, so I thought I'd show her cross-stich cut-offs and my rigging cut-offs together. 

Hobbies for everyone.

Happy New Year to Everyone - Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

Work accomplished since last post:

Gaff and boom finished and rigged

I bought these very small beads for parrels. I emptied the container into a small bowl to take the photo with the label visible.

Mistake. I spent half the afternoon chasing the things across the table and floor trying to return them. They have no weight.

Gaff and boom installed:

The beads worked great, worth the trouble.

Spars are next, one mast at a time

Comments welcome

- Kenneth

 

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks Everyone for the likes and comments.

Mizzen mast spars painted and rigged and ready to install:

- Kenneth

[Rollingreen]

Thanks for the great work Ken! I am just starting the masts on my model and it is very helpful to see such clear photos of your work. You are setting a a high bar to keep up with. 

[Kenneth Powell]

Thanks, Rollingreen -

I've been trying to get these latest two spars installed, but every time I look at the plans it all seems to get more and more jumbled.

I find that if I read, then re-read, then study a little more, look up other builder's photos I almost know what to do.

Like I mentioned earlier, all rigging is on one page, so a little clarity is sacrificed. I feel like once I get the mizzen mast spars completed, the other two will fall right in.

 

Comments welcome - Kenneth

[Kenneth Powell]

I finally got the 2 mizzen spars on the model, and I hope I did it right:

I have all the other spars shaped and painted and ready to rig, but the plans have no place for the main lower yard lifts to attach. The only reference is this drawing at the top of the plans:

It says 'Lifts lead thro sheave in covel (cavel?) abreast mast and belays on its cleat'. What? I cannot find a meaning for covel or cavel.

The plans show the mizzen and fore, but not the main unless I'm missing something. If he means kevel, then it's not on the plans. But adding one would be easy enough.

 

Help and comments welcome - Kenneth