I´m going to narrate the handrail manufacturing for the bow and stern together as they are done the same. First, I started with a sheet of Celtec material and cut the curvature for the bulwark using a band saw.
	Next, after marking the locations of the handrail supports, the band saw was again used to cut them out. The entire support piece was then glued to the bulwark on both the bow and stern.
Using a rat-tail file, flat file, razor blade and rough/fine sandpaper, the support was trimmed and feathered to the bulwark. If I haven´t told you before, this Celtec material is great stuff to work with. I like it even better than wood.
	The blue tape on the bulwark is to protect it from scratching during the trimming process.
The handrail itself was next. I used a piece of round plastic stock and simply glued it to the supports. Blue tape was used to hold it in place while curing.
	After the glue cured, it was a simple matter of trimming the handrail to the proper length using a razor blade.
Some minor fine sanding will be necessary prior to painting, but it looks pretty good as is.
	The stern handrail looks just as good. You can also see in this photo that I began making the double cross bollards! They will be made from solid styrene rod and Celtec. Stay tuned.

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Copyright © 2003 - 2008 John T. VanderHeiden
Last Updated Saturday, January 31, 2004 7:42:02 AM