Rattlesnake by JPett - Model Shipways - Scale 1/64th - Kit #MS2028

[Ferit]

Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien.

 

The better is the ennemy of the good...

 

Congratulations...

 

[popeye the sailor]

....didn't know wood released those   kinds of ferimones

[JPett]

Ahoy Mates

 

 

Aaron: Thank you very much for that compliment; which I appreciate but am not worthy of. There are too many other builds here on MSW that are far superior and deserving of a compliment such as that. If you learn anything from my log, I hope it is that anybody can do a decent job.

 

Russ: I will take that “B” If they are still using that format.

 

David: I am a chronic lurker in that forum. I find a lot of inspiration in both my build and log there. I am in the back row, my hand never goes up or my jaw down.

 

Keith: It is a mixed bag. I do enjoy planking very much but moving on is starting to develop some appeal. Maintaining the right attitude is key, MSW helps a lot, thanks for stopping by, you are always welcome.

 

Ferit: Welcome aboard. “Vrai bon voit pas d'ennemi, seul l'amour” Your Berlin build is "Excellent" BTW

 

Popeye: Where do you think the all the good potions come from.

 

Back to the build:

 

The repair was completed in the bow and looks much better. Planks now all taper more consistently. So with that in mind, I ripped off and replaced another plank in the bow (2^nd plank strake 13). Where some might see this as a quest for perfection I find it easier to “redo” then “regret”. Ripping them off is just so much easier.

 

I am moving very slowly, (“OK” slower then normally) in the stern, as I try to close this area up. This has proven to be a very difficult task for me and as much as I would like to rip off some of these too, I have already dealt with them. It was here I learned that lesson. I also see, “and this would be very important” to anyone following this log that the proper fairing of the both stern and bow filler pieces (which were a struggle for me) is really important. If giving a second chance, I would have spent considerably more time here. For now, I will call my second chance “the Berlin” and move forward. The planks in the stern all need to be cut, sanded, soaked, and then dried on the hull. Then this procedure is repeated with less cutting and more sanding; sometimes two more times. I cannot maintain a consistent plank width in the stern so I am trying to transition the different widths as smoothly as I can. This is something that I feel I will only get better at with experience.  Currently I have used up all my planking material. Some planks have taken up to four attempts to fit. In the stern and bow it can be a real heartbreaker too because so much work goes into them. Model Expo supplied me with 57 strips in the kit and there are 18 strakes on each side. That means I used 21 pieces for practice so far. The Ents will be stopping by shortly for a chat about this.  I am very happy with the results so far and have ordered some additional wood from ME. Until then I will use the wider pieces I purchased and do some Spiling. I think I am finally beginning to see some light.

Edited April 27, 2013 by JPett

[augie]

I admire your persistance.  You've made the exact statement I made in my log back on MSW 1.0 concerning more attention to fairing at the bow/stern.  It's called learning.  Hang in there.....the end is near for the hull.

[RiverRat]

Doin' great. I bet you'll end up with no regrets!

 

Say.... in that last pic, are those spring-loaded outward tensioning fixtures?

 

Cheers,

Brian

[src]

JP,

Been away for a while and just reacquainted myself with your build. Planking looks really good. I am jealous!.

Sam

[fish]

JP,

 

Aren't you glad you didn't buy the replacement wood kit that we talked about in the beginning?  You would probably cry everytime you cut a piece of ebony and it was wrong

 

-Aaron

[themadchemist]

Planking is definitely a learning by doing process. I'm so glad I did the peterboro first. The Swift was a real learning experience.

Like yourself, I attempted to reproduce the quality of work I've seen on MSW. The techniques work, but require much practice. I'm still just a novice, yet to cut my first rabbet, so I still have a ways to go to catch the fine planking of the Ratt. The fit of your rabbet is so nice.

 

I wouldn't worry about the extra wood, as the payoff will be the excellent hull, when your done. I understand the wanting to be done, but if your like me... you'll miss it. I think I could always have a ship in the planking phase, just for when I have a planking craving. I know I have so much more to learn and can't wait.

 

The fix's in the planking made a huge difference, It made the symmetry look so much better. Your in the home stretch and she one Beautiful piece of workmanship/artistry.

 

and as for the rest of you closet fondlers, you know you are, just keep lieing to yourself and saying your JUST checking for high spots...

[Trussben]

Hey JP, I think it looks really good, your patience is paying off. Can't wait to see you finishing filling that gap.

 

Ben

[tlnibert]

I'm working on a model, several years now. Your post help me a lot, now I don't feel as stupid. I'm building the Swift and I just finished the first layer of planking. I guess, I'll have to build several ships to get the skill to build the Latina Constellation I have waiting in line.

Tom

Huntington WV

[JPett]

Ahoy Mates

 

Thank you all for stopping by and your comments.

 

Augie : but is it still plagiarism when the source no longer exists “lol” As I did follow your original log it would not surprise me to find that, "that is where I learned it". PS:  I was a big fan of “Da plane” and it will always be remembered "fondly".

 

Brian: Trust me, some things will be different on my next build but there are not regrets, it is a steep upward curve but as my favorite mod puts it, “the wood is patient”. Yes, those are the new CP2000’s. I could not afford the bridge so I bought those. The guy was really nice.

 

Sam: You are always welcome here, as long as that jealousy does not lead to any destruction. I had an older brother

 

Fish: That is a paradox. I also misquoted. Because the hull was ten strakes short of completion, the correct answer is 31, which brings my batting average below 500. So much for the draft.

 

Keith: It is hard to put into words the process of planking. There is so much going on and so much more to learn.

 

Ben:  I am too You are always welcome here, your log has been a great help to me, Thank you

 

Tom: I am glad to hear that you are continuing your build and will look for your log. Please feel free to stop by here anytime.  

 

Back to the build:

 

Sorry no pics, The amount of work completed does not justify them. Closing up this last belt is like a great game of chess. I find myself thinking three to four moves ahead. When I got here, I thought my newly learned abilities would speed me through. Instead, it is taking me much longer to make progress. I find myself just staring at the hull contemplating my next move.

 

As I am nearing the end of this journey, I spent some time at Rockler preparing my next move. I highly recommend these stores. I was able to test different stains on Basswood and converse about finishes with very knowledgeable people. In the end it was decided that I would use my Zinsser Sanding Sealer (have that) with a “General Finishes’ (GF) pecan oil based wood stain thinned with mineral spirits (possibly alcohol) and protected with “GF” wipe on Gel Coat. After which the treenails would be added. The top coat protecting the stain allowing me to sand down the treenails maintaining a natural finish there. The Zinsser Sanding Sealer introducing a slight yellow tone adding some warmth to the pecan stain.

 

Comments are always welcome and appreciated. Especially any pertaining to my finishing idea. I really have no experience finishing wood. I am still trying to finish the runabout, ‘lol’

Edited April 28, 2013 by JPett

[augie]

Stop staring.  I'm looking forward to that final plank

[src]

Ahhh JP... gotta love Rockler! I have a love-hate relationship with them. Love 'em cause you can usually find what you are looking for in a better quality than the big box stores and the employees are usually knowledgeable. Hate 'em cause I have spent WAY too much of my hard earned dollars there! 

I was going to second Augies comment but I promises Carl (Cog) I would learn patience. So.... I will patiently await that last plank.

[Cap'n Rat Fink]

Nice progress Jp....I like the idea of the sanding sealer finish. I have gone that route with a couple of my builds with min-wax sanding sealer and i to also deluted it with spirits. You will like the finish....

[Martin W]

JPett -- My 2 Cents:  the tapering at the bow looks mighty fine.  Years, even months from now, when the anguish of planking has passed away a tiny bit, it'll be those nicely tapered planks that you'll want to look at most.

 

As for the staining, I'm a complete ignoramus, so I ask this only to avoid saying, Huh?  Once you put on the sanding sealer, won't sanding the treenails then lead to a lightening up of the yellowing around the treenails?  I was quite surprised at how much sanding was involved in getting the treenails down level, even after I was sure I'd cut them as closely to the plank as possible.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[bhermann]

When I got here, I thought my newly learned abilities would speed me through. Instead, it is taking me much longer to make progress. I find myself just staring at the hull contemplating my next move.

 

 

JP - it may be taking longer, but the results you are getting are the payoff for the time spent.  I am learning as you go! 

 

Bob

[JPett]

Ahoy Mates

 

Augie: I think age has something to do with it too.

 

Sam: I am a big believer in supporting local businesses so mine is a Love Love.

 

Mario: I have read nightmare stories about staining basswood. I understand the sealer is a must but not a guarantee. My fallback is paint or a second layer of planking. I will know when I get there

 

Martin: Thankfully, up to now I have very little anguish to forget. Because I don’t pressure myself I only remember fun little projects, some more challenging then others. Funny I have a better recollection and fonder memories of the harder ones. As for the sanding of the treenails I plan to do at least three coats of the clear. I hope that I will not sand through this but I need to run tests and things could change. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in.

 

Bob: that makes two of us

 

Back to the build:

 

Well I closed up one side of the stern planking and fitted my first planks. The difference was amazing. Kind of reminded me of when someone gets a tooth knocked out. There is only one missing but it changes the whole look as compared to a complete set. Sorry Augie but there was more staring, actually lots “lol”. I do see that one of my seams has opened up but I have others that are worst (no redo). I am thinking about putting some filler in the seams that I do have and wondering if I should add some pencil dust to the mix. This will darken it, but it will be the color used for the chalking. Suggestions welcome. I did notice on the runabout that seams such as these fill and become considerably less apparent with almost no additional work. I will give my next effort more time to dry, as I believe that is where this problem came from.

 

As for how this was done, I fitted the last two planks and then glued them both in at the same time. It seemed easier then committing to one and then being stuck with the other. I will now be moving to the bow, which will be done in reverse order. Where in the Stern I worked towards the keel with the smallest plank being the last one, I will again work to fit the smallest “easiest” plank last, but this one will be closest to the deck. Then I will fill in the mid section. I am having a hard time “not” sanding out the ruff areas to see what she will really look like.

 

Comments, especially helpful ones are most welcome

 

 

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi JP!

 

Just catching up with this build log and read about the toothpick in the Dremel and a draw plate. I had to try it and I have not stopped grinning yet! I'll be doing that on my next build - should be easier than grinding down the stainless steel pins I used on the whaleboat!

 

I admire your persistence to keep at a task until you feel it's right. Your ship is looking great!

 

You might try 220 grit sawdust packed into the planking seams with diluted white glue.

 

Best wishes

[Trussben]

Mario: I have read nightmare stories about staining basswood. I understand the sealer is a must but not a guarantee. My fallback is paint or a second layer of planking. I will know when I get there

 

 

 

 

 

 

If your close to staining i have some advice for you JP, as you know I spent a lot of time playing with this on the Confed. I never used any sealer/conditioner as you know, just was really careful about where the glue landed, seems that if any glue seeps into the basswood then you get the blotchy result after staining, i tackled this 2 ways, prestaining the planks before they ever touched the ship, sanding to 220grit and several coats of stain in very small amounts, be careful of any end grain as it will be darker and much more noticible grain structure through the stain.

Start off with a very light shade, say 20% golden Oak to 80% Natural as a first mix, maybe going up as far as 30/70. I found darker than that started to give negative results in the shade/blotchy/grain effect of the basswood. try it on some scrap planking first - Im sure you have some in the bin next to you seeing as how well you worked on getting the hull planking nice.  

 

ben

[JPett]

Ahoy Mates

 

Buck: Always welcome here, I added balsa filler and H2O to that recipe

 

Ben: thanks for all your help

 

Back to the build

 

Well I finally completed “one side” of my hull. The other is not far behind and as I waited for some planks to dry; I decided to sand this side. At first I told myself I would only do a ruff sanding.

 

I did have a few issues. One in the stern another two in the bow. The bow was caused by spiling the wood across the grain. I had this problem while fitting planks too but could and did replace them. Small chunks of wood fell out where the planks met the bow while sanding, in the stern I have no idea how a corner got nicked but it is in my last post pic. I have highlighted them in the pic. I mixed some sawdust, balsa filler, water, and PVA. I was disappointed but also realistic. $#it happens and I am still learning. I thought the repairs came out well but I was shooting for zero filler. Please deduct another two points from the scale card.

 

As for the planking, I thought my plan worked very well. The bow planks took a considerable amount of time to fit but I am proud to say I got both of them on the first try. The mid section followed; the bow and stern closed on different strakes had minimal if any effect here. I did not glue the last two planks in at the same time on the mid section either (as done on the bow and stern).

 

 

As for the finish am really stuck. I am considering either doing a white wash (it will be a tallow white) or just a clear coat in shellac or poly. The shellac would introduce a slight yellow hue and darken the wood it a bit. Clear is easy but not very flattering. I am leaning heavily towards the wash, simply because of the problems I am seeing with stain. Suggestion and comments are welcome here.

 

My staining tests have clearly demonstrated that anything except yellow in very low doses has a very high potential for disaster on basswood. I did have some nice results but consistently was just too a big and issue for me. Even with yellows

 

Thanks for stopping by

Edited May 3, 2013 by JPett

[russ]

The planking looks very good. If you had not pointed out your problem areas, I would not have known just by a casual viewing,

 

As for the finish, your white wash idea sounds good. The slightly off white of tallow will be just about right on this period of ship.

 

Russ

[augie]

Planking looks A-ok to me.  Curious to see what you choose on this finish.

[md1400cs]

JPett,

 

Your planking looks so good. Very nice touches using various lengths of planks, really looks nice. I also really like your separate timbers for your keel members along the longitudinal length. The cuts are so great. Nice details. I'm enjoying following your build. 

 

Regards

 

Michael

[popeye the sailor]

you did a fantastic job J.P. !   as far as the chipping goes.......I use the same technique........but I apply it with a very narrow piece of wood....no need to do a larger area and risk losing the nice plank lines you've got going.   you did what you set out to do,  and it worked!

 

superb job!  I agree with the color....basswood is kinda blotchy with a dark stain

[mtaylor]

JP,

I quite agree with the others.  That is one fantastic planking job.  Go with what the others have said for the tallowed look.  Oh...and lighten up on yourself.   It's a known condition around here that we are our own worst critics. 

[patrickmil]

JP, after a long and arduous journey, aka planking, you have a great looking hull on your hands. The time and care you put into doing that has really paid off well.

[Martin W]

Hi JPett -- Filler?  What Filler?  It all looks tight and regular to me. 

 

As for the staining/painting, I'd add my vote to the tallow tone, which should just make the natural color of the wood richer.  I just took a peek at Howard Chappelle's book, History of American Sailing Ships, and on the topic of painting he says it "was never standardized," but "From the time of the Revolution to 1820 the favorite scheme was yellow topsides set off with a black stripe which was usually the first strake above the wales."  That's not much of a clue.  And in his account of the Ratt he says this:  "The Rattlesnake was very lightly built and was unusual in not having wales."  Hmmm.

 

I also took a look at Harold Hahn's book on the colonial navy (I have the CD of his photos of all the ships he built including the Ratt, but these are only black & white) -- the book doesn't have our ship in it, but the ones he includes, such as the Hannah, have an ochre color to their topside.

 

That's all probably a bit much, but I think it adds to the fun.

 

Cheers,

 

Martin

[russ]

It is important to note that the Rattlesnake almost certainly did have wales, however her wales were probably planed so that they were flush with the surrounding planking. I think that is what Chapelle was getting at. Most ships have the wales standing a bit proud of the rest of the planking, but Rattlesnake probably had her wales planed off a bit so that they were flush with the planking above and below.

 

A ship like this would certainly have had that thicker belt of planking for the wales.

 

The color scheme would have been fairly typical. Yellow ochre topsides with black wales and a tallow underbody. Somewhere along the quarterdeck there might have been a streak of Prussian blue or red ochre, maybe some black for the trim.

 

Russ

[Blue Ensign]

I'm with the others JP  I think you've made an excellent job of the planking and you should be well pleased with it.

 

I look forward to further developments.

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

[JPett]

Ahoy Mates

 

Thank you all for the compliments, I am very happy with the results of my first planking so far and hope my efforts prove to others that with limited skills and experience but a build log on MSW, anyone can do this.

 

Russ: Tallow it will be. It is a very “very” subtle effect and I am thinking of further highlighting it by painting the keel and adding a pop of color somewhere as you suggested in your post.

 

Augie: In order to live up to the original challenge it has to be a very light application. Unless of course I screw it up, and then it will be more like paint.

 

Michael: I would love to take credit for the scarf joints in the keel but Model Shipways did those. I just did not and by any means on purpose (I can plead complete ignorance), not sand off enough of the laser burn to achieve this, which ended up highlighting them. Even a blind squirrel gets an acorn occasionally.

 

Popeye: I did try to scarf in wood but it was beyond my abilities. Ripping them out and doing another “Redo” was out of the question. These things are to be expected and I do not make them my focus. I have found that the key to a great job has always been in the repairs and most importantly knowing when to let things go.

 

Mark: Always a pleasure to have you aboard. Thank you for the compliment. A good friend once told me “if you don’t make any mistakes I don’t want you around. If you make too many, I don’t want you around either”.  

 

Patrick: Yes I started planking in January and it is now May and I still have a bit to do. Not rushing and little concern for completion is why I think it came out the way it did. It was in no way my experience or talent but simply patience and most importantly, the help I received here.

 

Martin: I find your comment very interesting. As the Ratt was a “runner” of sorts and even though there was no standard paint scheme at the time; if I was “let’s say avoiding the authorities” looking like everyone else is not such a bad idea. Hummm I wonder ???

 

Blue: Your words are very much appreciated. I use words like “excellent” when I describe work of your caliber. The quality of your builds tells me that I have much to learn and there is much more fun ahead.

 

Back to the build:

 

I would like to document my closing technique. It will be for my benefit on future builds and I hope it is of help to others. Please feel free to comment, especially if anything I am suggesting might be to the detriment of others.

 

I start when there are three remaining strakes to be fitted. This allows me five planks to work with. The two that are mounted and three that are not. I form the longest of the three required planks and start here. I have found that even though I have the hull marked off for the plank widths, this can be deceptive and does not give me an accurate assessment of the two planks widths required compared to those already installed (Seeing them does). Using two pieces of scrap planking  the same width as my project plank, I test fit them (see pic) and all five planks are then reduced to make room for the next three. I use lengths of wood with sand paper glued to one side to very slightly reduce the width of the mounted planks on either side of the space when needed. I also reduce the width of my test pieces ( I have different ones for different bulkhead locations) along with the project piece so all five planks maintain a consistent width. What ever I think I need to take off, I take half and then recheck. This is especially true when reducing the planks already mounted. Extra care must be taken here to not sand in any curves that will create gaps between planks. Over sanding is not an option here. The key is to make very subtle changes through out all the planks. Once I feel I have the widths at each bulkhead,  I glue on this plank. I make the next two planks, one at a time and then test fit them together. Again I will use a scrap piece to physically see the width of the next plank and reduce all planks equally. The fit of these planks also needs to be very tight. So tight that I cannot fully fit them both at the same time. I apply water to the outsides of the planks with a brush and glue to the bulkheads. The water softens the planks and allows me to apply some “brute force and superstition” to get them both in at the same time. It is a little unnerving but it works. You must be fully prepared and confident before proceeding with the glue.

 

As for the Color. The pic shows how light this effect is. I am hoping to have as much control as possible over how pronounced it will be during application.

 

I first apply the Sanding sealer and then wait fifteen minutes. Next, I mix the oil paint with the oil to retard its drying time and thin it out. Then I simply apply it with a rag.  A top coat of the poly gel follows this. I will most likely apply multiple coats of the poly. I might paint the keel a solid tallow color to highlight this. Comments welcome.

 

 

PS The sanding sticks mentioned in the planking notes are pictured with the stained/washed plank

Edited May 4, 2013 by JPett