Blog

Fire Monitors Part 2

Some thought has to be given how to hold all these remaining parts, firstly I need to make sure that I can replicate an upward incline since there won’t be any up and down movement, only rotation. Here comes another jig, a simple block of ½ inch hardwood with the angle cut at 200 and the corner removed to allow all the soldering to take place. Carefully marking out a centre line I used small brass pins to hold the pre silver soldered pipes in position on the flat sides. I now used some clamps to hold the brass pipes in place, check all the alignments then flux is applied. Very gently apply the heat with a soldering iron until the solder flows, it’s important to tack both ends of each pipe first on each side as at this stage the set-up is delicate to say the least and can be dislodged very easily. Then follow round to complete the joints making sure you don’t overheat the whole assembly and melting the parts already soldered. Next I need to test for leakage, if all OK I can carry on to fettle the joints, I don’t use files or abrasive paper to do this I only use a scalpel to remove any excess solder it’s so easy and better results are achieved. This also applies to cleaning up the white metal fittings; the main posts need to have a better base with some sort of fastening arrangement made, so an aluminium piece is machined up with three holes for fastening to the roof, this was then epoxied to the main post. The next job is to make the handles, for this I used some 3mm plate which I cut some slices off with a slitting saw. In its raw state it is hard and needs annealing before bending. The pieces were all cut to length and then drilled in a jig to ensure all the pieces were exactly the same, I can now leave a drill in both the end holes which keeps the pieces together while they are placed in the machine vice with a piece of round bar at the back to give a nice radius. The handles need a cross bar with “knobs on” so a little bit of machining and then the assembly can be done. The handles are soft soldered in place at the correct distance; I now need to drill and tap 10 BA the main body pipes to hold the handles in place. When these are assembled they will be put together with some epoxy on the screws and between the faces. Whilst using the epoxy I can glue the white metal exit pipe in place, this now completes the assembly. Next a coat of etch followed by a coat of grey then finally bright red, these will be left to fully dry before I attempt looking at the rotary system

4 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Fire Monitors Part 2

The fire monitor columns are constructed from two lengths of brass tube with various bits added, either for appearance, or for function. The short tube is 8mm o/d and has a brass collar added. This tube will eventually be glued into a hole in the cabin roof. I had to make these tubes a little longer than shown on the plan to ensure that the rotating monitor would not foul the lifebelts on the engine room roof. The second, longer tube is 7mm o/d and forms the rotating column. It will slide into the shorter 8mm tube. It carries the water from below deck up to the monitor at the top of the tube. A brass bush is soldered into the top of the tube and the monitor body is soldered into that bush. Part way down this tube, a brass collar is soldered to act as a bearing point against the top edge of the larger tube when everything is assembled. The bottom of the 7mm rotating tube was plugged with brass and then drilled and tapped with a female M5 thread. The servo coupling is a brass boss with a disc of 0.5mm brass sheet soldered on. This was then turned to be circular before 4 brass pins were added to engage with the servo arm. The top of the boss is threaded with an M5 male thread to screw into the rotating column. A short length of 3mm copper tube is attached to the side of the boos to provide the water connection point. The centre of the M5 screw is drilled out 3mm to allow the water to pass into the rotating column. Plasticard was used to add some details to the columns and then the monitor was rigged up on a mock up of the cabin roof and connected to a servo to test out the rotation. An electronic servo pulse stretcher was built to give 180 degrees of rotation for the monitor. I would have liked a little more, but the servo doesn't seem capable of accepting more than 0.5 - 2.5mS pulse width. Finally everything was stripped down, de-greased and painted using rattle cans. First with grey etch and then with 'Toolbox red' as suggested by Robbob. I have just realised, while writing this that I should not have painted the lower sections of the rotating tubes as these need to slide into the shorter tubes. Ah well, it will be easy enough to scrape that bit of paint off! (I'm sorry that the photos are not ordered in the correct sequence for the description. It doesn't seem to matter how I name the photos, or upload them, they just take on a random order of their own. Anyone know a solution to this?)

4 years ago by Graham93

Response

Re: Billing Boats St Canute Tug Kit

No sweat Richard👍 This site is full of us bin there dun that guys😉 "l had a problem trying to plank the stern of the St Canute so l replaced planks with blocks of balsa" He he!😁 I did exactly the same on the stern of the ancient Billing fish cutter, Gina 2, I am (slowly🙄) restoring and converting to RC. See pics, there's also a Build Blog on the site. After rough shaping of the block I sealed and hardened the balsa with Deluxe Materials EzeKote resin. Water based so no hardener, no pong and easy to clean the brush with warm water😊 Then used fine polyester filler, the green stuff in the pics, and a rubber sanding block for fine shaping. When done I applied EzeKote to the whole hull. Dried in half an hour outside in the sun. Then fine sanding 240/400 grade, then a coat of grey filler-. A little finishing filler on the blemishes which always show up at this stage 😠 gentle sanding with 400/600 wet n dry then on with the white! Patience is the main ingredient though. Good luck and much success👍, Cheers, Doug 😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: What colors to use?

To save you a lot of money you cou get a big spray can of grey and say it is a Navy Tug LOL! Sorry Ed it's not being very helpful. Martin555.

4 years ago by Martin555

Forum

Jersey City Tug

Hmm! have to admit Peter it wouldn't be my first choice. First, it reminds me of NATO olive drab camo paint.☹️ Second, being a 'chalky' finish it will definitely need sealing with a lacquer coat. Otherwise it is probably porous and will absorb water like chalk based s do. Third, I would go for a lighter shade like the Apple Green anyway. But wadda I know!😉 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS Small tip: if the Apple Green seems a little bright to you - you can tone down a bright top coat colour by using a grey and a light undercoat of matt black. 👍

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Wheelhouse

Having completed the basic hull repaint, it was time to get on to some of the more interesting details. Many of the deck fittings, ventilators, Samson post, etc were sourced from the shop on this website. These plastic fittings were primed with a grey etch and then top coated with Tamiya Gunmetal or Humbrol white enamel as appropriate. Being the 1/16th scale Crash Tender, I don't have the benefit of having a set of white metal fittings. I wasn't able to find many off the shelf fittings in 1/16th scale so decided to scratch build them instead. It makes the job more interesting, if a bit fiddly, ....... and very time consuming! The first task was to replace the fixed wheelhouse roof with a removeable one. This gives access to the interior of the wheelhouse for fitting lighting, new windows, and the searchlight servo. The window frames were cut from 1mm plasticard and painted silver. The mast was built from brass, including making the pulleys. A 5mm white LED is fitted to the top, with a little white painted brass cap to make it look the part. Rigging is 1.5mm elastic cord. I think this is a little thick and 1mm might look better. I still have to source the ensign to fly from the mast. There is a pulley in place ready for it. The port, starboard and wheelhouse roof navigation lights were all constructed using plasticard and fitted with 3mm LEDs. The aerial on the roof of the wheelhouse is made from brass based on the details given by Mike (mturpin013) in his blog. The boathooks were also scratchbuilt from brass. I thought they would look better than the white metal ones available on eBay. For the "shepherd's crook" hook, the brass rod was first tapered by filing and sanding before being bent to the appropriate shape. The other hook was formed by silver soldering a brass cross piece onto a tapered shaft. Both hooks were formed on the end of a long length of brass rod to make it easier to handle them. Once complete, a short section of rod behind the hook was turned down to 1mm dia to form a spigot for mounting on the poles. The poles were carved from mahogany. With all these details in place it is really beginning to look the part. Next up the rear deck.

4 years ago by Graham93

Blog

Chine strakes and hull painting

Following the initial trial, I fitted chine strakes. These were steamed, bent to shape and left to dry. The original hull painting (humbrol enamel) was rubbed down and the new strakes fitted with epoxy and brass pins. I hope they will hold on the old paint surface. The gunwale strakes were also replaced as these had suffered from some damage over the years. I also took the opportunity to replace the old cooling water outlet with something more to scale. Two exhaust ports were made using a couple of white metal portholes adapted with brass tubes which pass through the transom. The cooling water is fed out through both of these. I know this is not strictly accurate, as there should be a separate, smaller outlet for the engine cooling water, but I'm not looking to achieve 100% accuracy, just something that looks a lot more like scale than the original 45 year old model. I might revisit this at a later date. The hull was painted using rattle cans, first a grey etch , then the colours followed by the decals and finally a clear lacquer coat. The hull was left to dry for two weeks and then it was back onto the water. As this is my only boat, I'm trying to carry out the refit in a way that allows me to get onto the water as often as I can. The improvement in performance with the new chine strakes was remarkable. It now planes easily and turns quickly. With the diesel fitted it was reluctant to plane, and it could be difficult to turn which was due I think to the torque on the larger prop plus the missing strakes. What a difference hindsight (and this website!) makes. 😀 Another improvement was that the boat is now dry inside. It always used to fill the rear cockpit and the centre cabin with water but that is no longer the case. The two O-rings I added to the top and bottom of the rudder shaft may also have helped with this. Returning from this outing I was unhappy to find that the foam protectors on the boat stand had marked the lacquer finish. Despite having left it for two weeks, it was still soft enough to be marked. Not sure if you can see the damage in the photo. Another detail I will have to revisit later. I noticed that the motor was running a little warm so the opportunity was taken to replace the aluminium plate motor mount with one made from copper sheet with a copper tube silver soldered onto it. This has been plumbed into the ESC cooling water circuit and now keeps the motor reasonably cool. The deck was then masked and painted with a textured finish followed by brush applied humbrol enamel. I found a tin of grey enamel in the garage, which must date from the original build, and it was still useable!

4 years ago by Graham93

Response

Re: What filler?

Hi Chris, Sorry for the delay in responding, sounds like your well on the way to a great model. As most of my models are vintage they are made in a similar way. Firstly with the balsa I cover with 2 coats of sanding sealer, once sanded to nearly there I use another coat of sanding sealer. When I am happy with the look and feel of the Hull I coat with ezekote and 0.03mm glass cloth. Allow to dry for 24 hours then another coat of ezekote. This is then rubbed down with 1200 grit wet and dry (used dry). Next I will spray with Halford filler , rubbed down and followed by a couple of coats of normal spray , then up to 3 coats of top coat. And finally 2 coats of lacquer of your choice. Not forgetting to rub down between each coat. Once you start on the actual paint I use 2000 grit wet and dry used wet with a drip of fairy liquid in the water. I hope this is helpful, if you have blemishes to fill after priming I use holts knifing putty as it's in a tube and easy to use and sand back. Don't take my methods as gospel, there are many ways in modelling, this is just my humble opinion. Cheers Colin.

4 years ago by Colin H

Blog

The Anchor

There’s no anchor supplied in the Vintage Model Works metal fittings kit and I thought it would be good to include one as an additional deck feature, again following the NMM model that I’m using as a reference. First I made the chain hawse pipe from some styrene tube by heating and bending it in a former and then selecting a small part of it that has the correct degree of bend. This was then fixed to a circular plasticard flange and the base drilled to take a small brass shackle pin that the chain will fix to. A 2mm brass nut secures this pin to the hawse pipe. A couple of brushed coats of gunmetal grey finishes the piece. The deck was drilled to take the shackle pin and this piece is screwed into the deck without any need for glue. The anchor is a Hall type anchor from Cornwall Model Boats and this needed a bit of fettling with files to improve the finish, it was then sprayed with grey etch and a couple of coats of satin lacquer. I drilled a 1mm hole through the bottom of the anchor for a retaining pin. The chain, also from CMB, if fixed to the shackle pin in the hawse pipe with a slightly larger link made from some brass wire. I made a retaining piece for the anchor to sit in that incorporates the anchors retaining pin, this is made from some scraps of obeche strip superglued together but I had to file a recess into it so that the anchor would sit correctly. This was finished with some antique pine stain and a lacquer finish and fixed down to the deck with a couple of 1mm threaded brass rivets and a dab of superglue for good measure. Another brass wire link connects the chain to the anchor and the short length on chain will be tacked down to the deck with a spot or two of glue. In retrospect the anchor and chain look very slightly too small in scale, the dimensions on the CMB site are a little misleading ☹️, but overall the piece looks quite good on the deck 😀

4 years ago by robbob

Blog

Paint prep

It’s time to start looking at some paint preparation as this is something that can be done alongside some of the remaining jobs. I have spent hours glassing the hull and deck and the cabin roofs and then finishing to a standard for the first coats of , this was achieved by progressing through various grades of wet and dry from 400 to 800. This gives a good adhesion surface for the first coat. As I have said in previous posts I made as many parts detachable as was practical, so on the forward cabin roof (which is in itself detachable) all parts are removed leaving a relatively flat surface to prepare, the underside was masked and then put in the queue for painting. Mid cabin and rear cabin roofs - again all parts were removed and placed in the queue/turntable, Spraying is a hazardous process whatever type of paint you use, so it’s essential that some sort of extraction is used and an appropriate face mask ( I use a P100 rated mask because it gives the highest level of protection in the widest variety of situations and will filter out 100% of both oil-based and non-oil-based particles.). This can also be used for most of my wood working activities, however; if this isn’t an option for you then I suggest you spray outdoors. My spray booth is made from an old cooker hood mounted in my workshop with a table below. On this I used plain sheets of hardboard which I made temporary fixings to hold a box together. The extraction element was a piece of old clothes dryer flexible 4” pipe which when I’m spraying hangs out of the window. Back to spraying, I use a compressor and small spray gun for this size of work so I purchased a litre of grey and 5 litres of thinners. I am no professional sprayer but have sprayed a number of cars in the past and I have learnt that once again ”Less is more” so a number of light coats is better than one thick coat that runs, meaning lots of sanding and a repeat performance of painting. First three coats of grey applied and I’m pleased with how it’s going. I took the opportunity to spray some of the other parts that were finished while the gun was full of . Spraying is one of those jobs which is over before it’s begun yet the preparation seems to take weeks but it always pays off in the end. Next will be a top coat of Appliance White.

4 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Sea Commander restoration.

Hi there folks, a little late, but now we'll under way. The Hull was stripped and stabilised as it had quite a bit of delamination, once solid I coated with 0.03mm glass cloth and Eze-Kote. Then primed with filler , followed by a good rub down with 1000 grit wet and dry. Primed again and rubbed down between coats, 4 coats. Top coat is Fiat caprice blue, 6 coats wit rub down with 2500 wet and dry between first 5 coats then I used G3 rubbing compound. It's now ready for lacquer. But I have to rebuild the cabins first. I have fitted the new propshaft, prop, water pick up and outlet. Also the new rudder. Have cut away the old diesel engine mounts and made a platform for the Taycol Supermarine motor which was rebuilt and modified by RNmunich (Doug). Was hoping to get her ready for the steam and vintage show at the end of the month. Some way to go but I have a goal and will try to achieve it. Cheers Colin. PS. I can't get the pictures to upload from the app. I will try to use the computer tomorrow.

4 years ago by Colin H

Response

Re: Veronica build. London sailing barge

It all depends on the type of filler. If it's a wood filler, I do it first. After glass cloth and Eze-Kote, I then use knifing puty for minor marks and dents or modelling filler. Finally using high build filler before normal then the paint. Not forgetting all the rubbing down after each process. Main ingredient is patience. Cheers Colin.

4 years ago by Colin H

Blog

The Radio Aerial

Another cabin roof fitting is the radio aerial, this also needs to be detachable for transport and storage. For the base I cut and formed a disc from some brass bar and ‘turned’ it to the desired size and profile in my makeshift 'lathe' (a Black & Decker horizontal drill stand) and then the centre hole was enlarged to take a 4mm brass tube which was silver soldered into the base. The piece was then cleaned up with some abrasive paper and wire wool. A short piece of 3mm brass rod was then threaded and soft soldered into the bottom of the base to form the fixing stud. For the aerial rod I used a short piece of 3mm tube and some 2mm brass rod, the tube fits inside the base tube and the rod in the centre, and this was soft soldered together into the base. Finally a piece of 3mm tube was soldered to the end of the rod and turned to shape it into a ball. The rod was also given a slight taper with files and abrasives. The whole piece was sprayed with grey etch and when dry the base was brush painted with some black acrylic and finally some clear satin lacquer finishes off the part. 😀 The aerial fixes to the roof through a white plasticard base with a 3mm wing nut.

5 years ago by robbob

Blog

The Searchlight & Horns

When I built my RAF Crash Rescue Tender my brother made a searchlight base for me on his lathe from a drawing I supplied and at the time I asked for an additional one in case I made a hash of it. Fortunately I didn’t need it at the time and still had the spare one in my bits box and so it made sense to use this for the searchlight on the Thames Police Boat. The new base was made in much the same way as the previous one, the detail is in my Crash Tender blog: https://model-boats.com/blogs/23951 The white metal casting of the searchlight body is very well made and only requires a little fettling to remove casting lines and as this searchlight will not be a working one I used the prototype lens from my previous searchlight build to fit into base. A short plastic rod was push fitted into the lens base with a disc of silver foil at the lens end to enhance the reflection in the optical path. This piece acts as a support for the lens instead of the LED unit and is glued into the body which I had previously painted black internally. A perspex disc was made to cover the front of the lens, and a ‘tri-form’ front piece was made from some 22mm copper pipe and some brass wire which was soft soldered together. Before the front was glued in place all the parts were sprayed with a grey etch and a couple of coats of satin lacquer. The finished assembly is fixed to the roof with a 3mm threaded stud and a wing nut to make removal easy with a circular plasticard base between the two. The twin horns are from RB Model in Poland and they just needed to be sprayed with etch and lacquer before fixing to the roof. The boat is now looking more like the real thing, just a little more detailing to add including the life ring, roof aerial, flagstaff and a few more deck fittings. 😊

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Re: Painting

Hi Peter, sorry for late answer, been a bit distracted lately🤔 I guess it's to due with the pigment used and the fact that being white it doesn't filter out any of the colour wavelengths of light, as coloured paints do. I always use a white and/or undercoat. As I did in the white cabin of my Sea Scout, and recently also the hull of the fish cutter I'm renovating and converting. I see that you are using generous dollops of 'the secret ingredient' in your painting👍 Nice work, you must have quite a fleet by now! Cheers Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Completing the Superstructure

The superstructure was sprayed with white and a top coat of appliance white. Port holes fitted. Windows glazed. The funnel was made from a toothpaste tube. It has a nice tapered flange. The funnel guys are copper wire and the turn buckles each made from 2mm brass tube and two ring pins. These were soft soldered together. The deck was planked using 0.5x5mm mahogany strips. The handrail stanchions and brass handrail wire were purchased from Modelboat bits. The engine telegraph units manufactured from wood doweling and brass items. The forward doors made out of mahogany strips. Additional Info Port holes - Alwayshobbies.com Ringpins -These were found in a craft shop in the jewellery section. Brass tube - B&Q Spray paint - Halfords Mahogany strips - left over from another project but can be found online.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Planking the hull.

After shaping the frames to the hull profile and glueing shaped lime wood block to the bow and the stern, planking started at deck level. I happen to have a length of lime plank. So using a bandsaw cut lengths approx 2mmx10mmx a bit longer than the boat. I planked each side two planks at a time, glueing and pinning to each frame. Where required I soaked the ends of the planks to assist in the bending. Planks were shaped as required. Ones close to the keel needed a lot of trial and error. This all took a bit of time (4 planks a night). Once the planking was complete, the hull was sanded to smooth out the plank transitions and any bumps. The hull was then coated with car body filled, sanded, etc until happy with finish. A couple of coats of grey was applied using spray cans.

5 years ago by Hillro

Blog

Ready for the Paint job!

Following the completion of the basic hull build, I installed the prop shaft and motor ( Mtroniks Hydra 15A) and all lined up nicely. Next, drilled the hole ready for the rudder assembly to be inserted and it all fits perfectly vertical to my great delight. Its now masked up and ready for the hull paint job which will start with a filler layer followed by white , then brilliant white gloss with an Ink Blue design and black anti-foul keel. I'm just waiting for the shed to warm up a bit and reduce the humidity as the wife wil definitely kick me out if I spray indoors. She just about allows me to do the build in the dining room, but only when she's out!

5 years ago by StuartE

Blog

Mast assembly

The supplied mast is of white metal and although OK it has a number of minus points for me. 1- The mast does not lend its self to being hinged. 2- It really needs navigation light on top and the supplied casting is not suitable for this. 3- wiring needs to be hidden, not easy with the casting 4- it’s quite heavy Having said all that it’s ok if you don’t want my wish list. So on with the manufacture of a replica, I chose brass as the preferred material because it’s easy to silver and soft solder. The main legs are made from 6mm round tube, which I squeezed in my machine vice to an oval shape to look like the castings, each of the ends were then squeezed again at 90 degrees to allow then to join to the cross mid-section. I made some brass inserts for the hinged end from 2mm brass sheet, which are bent by 25 degrees to allow the hinge mechanism to sit at 90 degrees to the cabin roof, these are drilled and tapped 8BA. These pieces actually block the end of the oval tube and need to have a 2mm slot milled in them to allow the wires to exit the tube; these are soft soldered in place later. Two feet were made from two pieces of 2mm brass plate the base plate being slotted to accept the upright and finally silver soldered together. (A point here for silver soldering is to use as little solder as possible and allow it to flow with the heat around the joint this means that no filing is needed. I find it’s also good practice to quench the part when nearly cool to break the glass like residue of the flux then just steel wool is required to clean the parts). The feet upstands were then drilled 8BA clearance and the base fixing holes drilled the same size. The cross mid-section is made from 1mm brass sheet and is bent through 360 degrees whilst placing a 6mm round bar in the centre to create a hole for the top mast. A small wooden former was used as the piece was pressed together in the machine vice, this was then silver soldered to give stability and then filed to shape. This piece has to accommodate the wires passing through, so again a 2mm slot is milled from each leg location to the centre to create passage up to the top mast. The top mast is just stock tubing which then has a turned top with four 5mm holes machined at 90 degrees to accommodate the LED. This is a 5mm Flat top wide angle LED this will direct the light out of the four holes. Finally the cross piece, again stock tube with small ball finials at each end soft soldered in place and tapped 10 BA for the pulley blocks. All pieces now made, it’s time to assemble the parts using a combination of soft soldering and epoxy resin. The wire that I used was silicon sheaved, and when I soldered the legs to the mid-section and lower hinge piece I made sure there was enough wire to pull through to check if the process had damaged the wire, but it hadn’t. So having soldered the LED, the top was epoxied to the upper tube and the tube epoxied to the mid-section. Finally the mid-section was filled using Milliput but first putting some Vaseline on the wires to avoid them being stuck should I ever have to rewire the unit. Next the cross beam was added and epoxied in place. The bottom of the legs looked plain compared with the cast version so I have made some thin gauge brass covers with mock bolts as per the original. The whole assembly was cleaned up ready for a first coat of etch , and white , followed later with a final coat of appliance white

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Hull finishing touches

The Huntsman Hull has now had the finishing touches applied...Sanding Sealer, Eze-Kote, glassfibre sheet and hull chine bars added. The inside of the hull has been given a good dollop of Eze-Kote to seal it and waterproof it so next job is to fit the prop tube and motor before the whole hull gets a coat of ... I've only just realised, but the kit from SLEC does not contain any decking, so I need to sort out whether to just go for plain mahogany veneer or try to find teak decking which is laser cut to fit with plank marks....any help or advice here welcome for a novice! (I can't find anything suitable on the internet). 😡

5 years ago by StuartE

Forum

Painting over epoxy

On fibreglass you could use an etching which is a modified alkyd that produces a sound base coat on wood, steel, fiberglass, aluminum surfaces. but you should use an ordinary before the top coat. Halfords do a spray etch .

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Painting over epoxy

I have used several Halfords Aerosol spray cans on boats over the recent years. In each case I have sanded the hull down to bare wood as the boats were vintage ones and did have coats of paint on them that could not be identified. Best to use thin applications of both then paint then build up on that after leaving 24 hours between each coat. Another good point is that Halfords also stock plastic in their paints range which is ideal if your boat has a polystyrene hull or you have plastic fittings. Boaty😎

5 years ago by boaty

Response

Painting the hull – Part 1 & anti fouling.

Panel wipes...one of the best thing going, used to wipe over before final coat with ispropanol alcohol, but panel wipes are much easier, and of no cost really.

5 years ago by Rookysailor

Response

Painting the hull – Part 1 & anti fouling.

I always use panel wipes as a result of my experience with spaying kit cars, the same methodology applies even though the item is somewhat smaller and in a way its more important as the finished item often gets closer scrutiny.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Painting the hull – Part 1 & anti fouling.

Doesn't everybody use panel wipe ??..... .....Actually.....I didn't until I got some grease or silicone on a surface to be painted and it was the devil's 👿 job to get it off so that the paint didn't react....lesson learned 😁. I use it all the time now 👍 Robbob

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Painting the hull – Part 1 & anti fouling.

Haleluia someone who actually does the painting stage right for a change using Panel Wipe top marks there. Dave

5 years ago by Dave J

Blog

Painting the hull – Part 1 & anti fouling.

There’s no putting it off any longer, I need to start painting the hull before I do any more on the boat so the hull was given a final rub down with a fine abrasive and then the deck and gunwales carefully masked off. I used some panel wipe to thoroughly de-grease all the surfaces and then put the hull in the ‘spray booth’ on my turntable and applied two coats of Halfords grey . I left this for a couple of days to dry and harden off before setting it on my bench. The next stage involves levelling the hull fore and aft and side to side so that the waterline can be established. Fortunately the well deck floor is meant to be perfectly level when the boat is afloat and at rest and this is the datum I used to level to using a couple of spirit levels. The rough waterline points were measured off the plan and transferred to the hull to be used as approximate starting points for the waterline. For my previous build I bought a self-levelling laser to indicate the waterline so this was brought out for the same purpose. The laser level was placed on another workbench a couple of metres away and gradually raised with packing pieces until the projected line agreed with the rough position marks I’d made on the hull and then finely adjusted until the line was correct and pencil marks made at intervals along the projected line. The process was repeated for the other side of the hull and then also marked across the stern, fortunately the stern line and bow markings joined up accurately confirming that the levelling was spot on. Good quality low tack masking tape was then applied all around the hull and the area above the line masked off with a couple of layers of newspaper. The exposed hull was then keyed with a fine Scotchbrite type pad and cleaned off with panel wipe before two coats of Halfords red oxide applied as the anti-fouling.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

Basic hull construction completed

I guess you will only be able to tell properly is when it's ed. I suppose you could always fill it and resand - that will be my fallback position! Is the motor size in the instructions? Had a look at a build article and it's not in there. if you haven't got it it's well worth getting because as well as the build of that very kit Dave Milbourn has written an article on finishing nd painting which I'm reffering to. it's the Model Boats Winter Special Edition 2018. Chris

5 years ago by ChrisF

Forum

Planking

What type of boat/ship if its purely a sport boat you can cover the planking with tissue and dope then high build . Sand it down and paint with whatever takes your fancy. On the other hand if your wanting the planking to show ( scale type model) you need to seal the wood on the outside and inside with a decent varnish that should provide all sealing you need.

5 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Painting white metal

Hi Roger, Metal fittings of any kind and white metal figures can be painted with either Humbrol type paint (enamel) or Acrylic paint,both will need their own , but remember😱. you can paint enamel over acrylic, but not the other way (acrylic over enamel). Most of the fittings I get in my Deans Marine warships are white metal and resin, I use Halfords plastic (grey or white) then use acrylic paint from various company's to finish off. Hope this is of some help to you.😊 cheers Peter👍

5 years ago by Rookysailor

Blog

Building the Cabin. Part 2

Before the front window panels can be added to the cabin structure they need to be shaped to follow the curvature of the front deck as much as possible and then glued together with a reinforcing strip on the back of the joint. Unfortunately I made an error 😡 when shaping and jointing the parts and had to make some new panels from some thin ply that I had to hand using the old panels as a template, hence the roughly cut window apertures in the ‘photos. This was unfortunate but I feel better for the confession 🙏. The new window panel was then glued and pinned to the front of the cabin assembly and left to dry while in the meantime I used my hot air gun to heat and bend the roof panel to the correct curvature. The roof panel was then pinned and glued in place on the cabin framework and when dry was trimmed with a small plane and the front window panel trimmed down to the roof profile. I added some additional framing and bracing pieces at the base of the front window panels and a ‘shelf’ which will form part of the dashboard inside the cabin. I also added some extra framing and an end panel at the rear of the roof and a thin square bead was fitted around the base of the cabin sides and front to improve the appearance where the cabin meets the deck. Before adding further detail to the cabin I used some Z-Poxy finishing resin on the roof panel to strengthen it and provide a better surface for the paint finish which comprised of one coat of white , two coats of gloss ‘Appliance White’ and two coats of gloss lacquer, all with a thorough rub down between. When all the paint had dried and hardened I gave the exterior of the cabin a first coat of ‘Antique Pine’ stain. Next I will add some detail to the deck.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

The deck planking.

Hi Mike. I chose to use .8mm black plasticard after doing a test pieces with it and comparing it with another using card and I found the plasticard far easier to cut and fix, and it trims very neatly with a sharp chisel. No special required at all, the obeche strip is stained with several coats of teak water based stain and finished with a couple of coats of satin acrylic lacquer. It was great to meet you at Ally Pally on Saturday and compare notes on Crash Tenders, I hope you enjoyed your day out to London. Very Best. Rob.

5 years ago by robbob

Response

The deck planking.

Once again a piece of precision planking, the end product is always dependant on good planning and preparation, I used black card as my caulking (its available in a variety of thicknesses) and my thought was that it would not require any special pre- treatment other than sanding sealer and lacquer. Does the plasticard need a plastic ?

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Cooling coil

As long as the coil toutches the motor you will be ok if it is NOT touching then simply start agaain as it will b a waste of time.............................................With regards to your painting question simplest way is to go to halfords and buy grey with is acrylic....if it is a wooden hull then you WILL NEED to use a coat of Halfords or Equivellent car laquer to seal the underneath ...rub down with 800 DRY then put your grey on top of it....reason for this is simple the is porous so you will need to stop water getting at the wood,if it is GRP then no need for this Dave

5 years ago by Dave J

Forum

Paint finish for warships

I am building a 1/24 th scale Perkasa,but this recommendation applies to any warship. Autotek etch covers anything with even one coat,and, as an etch is good for any substrate including galvanised , ally, plastic / resin.It has an authentic Matt finish,and one squirt repairs any building marks.When finished, I will laquer with Autotek MATT laquer. Find it on ebay at about £10.50 for two 500ml cans! Use in well ventilated room,it is acidic!

5 years ago by drspock

Forum

HMS Campbeltown 1941, 1/96 scale

Hi Steve, swallow your pride and treat yourself to some 1/96 WWII navy figures from Deans, I have six sets now ready for my HMS amethyst painted in navy whites, and some for the USS KIDD nearly finished. They are small and rather crudely cast, but with and paint they look OK on the bridge, as Doug says, better than a ghost ship😲, will post some piccy's of the crew when finished. cheers Peter😊 BTW Happy New Year

5 years ago by Rookysailor

Blog

Priming Hull

Hello, Not too many photos today as I am focusing on sealing the hull. Photo shows the gray in progress..... Haven't finalized the paint scheme yet, probably red, green, white, some gray. Thank you everybody for your interest, please ask questions, comments appreciated. if you see me doing something GOOFY, let me know...... Regards, Joe

5 years ago by Joe727

Blog

Deck, servo mount

Put together a pilot house based on some tugs I've seen. Just freelanced it as I went. I build a lot with styrene so I am used to just cutting and building. I use liquid styrene cement that fuses the materials together. See photo, will trim it out as I mount it, need to add some detail at roof and some Navigational lighting. Put on on 3mm plywood deck, same as hull bottom. The deck is also curved (proper term is SHEAR) and I started to build up some wood edge at the opening. Will sand everything well, then start sealing and priming all surfaces. Made a bracket for the rudder servo mount and an adjacent platform for the ESC and RX. Ordered two 6v 5ah SLA batteries. I will wire in parallel to stay with 6v and get 10ah. I like to stay with 6 volts as I want the motor to run slow like a tug should. Will wire in an in-line fuse. Haven't decided where I will put switch, up high somewhere to avoid water. I will show the wiring once I get to it. This build is going fast because it's a simple design, just what I was looking for. I work on it late afternoons and into the evening while I watch basketball games. About 4 hrs a day. Looking forward to building the hatch and getting some started tomorrow. Regards, Joe 👍

5 years ago by Joe727

Forum

Sailing Ship Peking

Hi Nerys, Sometimes Wiki is better than Google😉 Hope this helps. Cheers, Doug 😎 https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Peking_(ship) "Refurbishment in Germany On August 2, 2017, she was transferred to Peters Werft located at Wewelsfleth for a 3 year refurbishment at estimated cost of €32 million: New rigging New double floor steel plates Dismounting of all masts, because these are too rotten Docking in dry-dock and renewal of the steel structure Removal of the cement that fills the lower three and a half metres of the Hull The ship spent about a year in dry dock. Peking was refloated on 07 September 2018 with paint Hull. She stayed on Peters Werft Pier for about 2 months and goes to dry dock again. Teak will be reinstalled before she will be taken to Hamburg to the German Port Museum. There might also be an opportunity to make her sail again." Here the refloating (video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sriop2oV1w8

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Tow hook assembly

The white metal fitting has an awful lot of detail on it but lacks definition so some time spent on filling the body to better define the components. The anchor part has six hex dummy bolts cast into the base but I intend to drill these out and then use 8BA brass bolts to secure it to the woodwork. Looking at pictures of the assembly it is obvious that there is a handle arrangement missing so I made this from a piece of brass wire and epoxied in place. The two parts have a linkage to fasten them together so again using brass wire and a piece of scrap tube a linkage was made and holes drilled and tapped to secure the assembly. Finally, a couple of coats of followed by a “Gun Metal” finish and the items are finished. A pleasing result, however taking some time to do, now for the circular running rail, and supporting posts to complete this unit.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Response

Spraying Again.......

Agreed Boaty 👍 With a plastic or glass fibre hull it's a slightly different kettle of fish. However I'm still wary of the absorbing moisture.🤔 Sealing with a matt or silk lacquer seems to give an extra knot or so as well😉 But here we were discussing wooden hulls. Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Spraying Again.......

Hi Doug Red certainly is porus and does need some protection when used on a wooden hull. The only exception to this is when the hull is plastic then plastic can be used. It adheres better than the standard and is readily available from the likes of Halfords etc. I have used this on my italeri P.T 109 and is still good seven years on. Boaty😁

5 years ago by boaty

Response

Spraying Again.......

Mornin' Peter, Red can be a good match for some anti-fouling paints. If you are happy with the colour - fine. BUT!! Seal the paint with several thin coats of matt or silk clear varnish for the reasons mentioned to Neville above! is porous!! Flatten the with 1000 / 1500 wet n dry until your fingertips tell you the surface is good. Apply the varnish in several thin coats, flattening lightly with 2000 / 3000 w&d between coats, until you have a good sealed surface. The varnish (or lacquer) will also give some extra protection against knocks and bangs 😊 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Spraying Again.......

Mornin' Neville, ."How wet is wet"? Hold the paper under a running tap, warm water, until it goes dark all over. Remove excess water with kitchen roll. You don't have to flood the hull but keep the paper well wetted. For convenience I use the Tamiya sanding sponges. They mould themselves to any shape they are used on which is great for compound curves. Keep a bowl of warm water handy to re-wet the paper or sponge from time to time and to clean of the residue that builds up on the paper. Also regularly wipe off the slurry that builds up on the object you are sanding with kitchen roll or a damp flat dense kitchen sponge. When you are finished wash off the hull (or whatever) with the the flat sponge and clean water. Dry off carefully with kitchen roll or non-linting cloth. DON'T do a bath test with just on the hull as the is porous! it consists mostly of finely ground chalk dust or similar in a solvent suspension. Wait until you have at least the first top coat on to seal it. You only have to look at a car with a primed wing, that has then been driven around in typical British weather for a few weeks, to see why!! Don't forget the 'secret ingredient' 😉 All the best, Doug 😎 PS Nearly forgot 😲 Start using a few drops of liquid soap on the w&d from the final preparation of the coat through til the end.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Spraying Again.......

Really useful information here. I will take it all on board. I would like to know though if the red is the ideal colour for your top coat for antifouling, can it remain as only or is it necessary to go to a proper top coat paint. Thanks.🤓😊

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Pretend deck planking

"Danish oil is a hard drying oil, meaning it can polymerize into a solid form. it can provide a hard-wearing, often water-resistant satin finish, or serve as a on bare wood before applying paint or varnish. it is a "long oil" finish, a mixture of oil and varnish, typically around one-third varnish and the rest oil. Rags used for Danish oil have some potential risk of spontaneous combustion and starting fires from exothermic oxidation, so it is best to dry rags flat before disposing of them, or else soak them in water." 😲 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Spraying Again.......

Hi Neville, Check out my Sea Scout 'Jessica' renovation blog for how to achieve good paint finish! 'Wet n dry' is the ONLY way to go. Right from the priming stage. it stops the 'riding' you describe and the generation of flying dust which is anathema to any paint or varnish finish, but you do have to clean and re-wet the paper and the object you are sanding from time to time!!! Any mistakes at that stage will carry through to the top coats and still be visible 😡 Don't quite understand how you created 'mouths'. I'm wondering if you sprayed too close and/or too heavy!? Your apparently exorbitant paint consumption seems to hint at this🤔 For the record; I started with 240 on the /filler for my Sea Scout and worked up through 400, 600, 1000, and 2000 and 3000 for the final top coats and deck varnish. All 'Wet', with a few drops of liquid soap added at the top coat stages, i.e. from the 1000 stage. At the end I polish with a mild cutting polish 'Anti hologram' they call it here, from the auto industry. Tedious I agree and a generous dollop of patience is required (the 'Secret ingredient' I have often mentioned here 😉 But when you see the result it warms the cockles and makes it all worthwhile.😊 Happy spraying, cheers, Doug 😎 BTW; for the blue on my Sea Scout hull I used a 400ml rattle can for several coats (more than three in the end) and there's still some left ! BTW2; For masking I use Tamiya tape for nice crisp edges. Fill in behind that with 'normal' fine masking tape and newspaper.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Spraying Again.......

Hi there, the filler used on a car would normally cover a front wing with 3coats, so going by your Hull size it was about the right amount, 300ml would normally have given 2 coats so again about right. Although I usually try doing very light mist coats with 20 minutes between not allowing the paint to harden between coats allows the paint to bond better. When rubbing down between top coats I prefer to use 1200 wet and dry, wet in frequently, and the final rub down with 2500 wet and dry before finally polishing. This is my preferred method, but other methods will still work. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Blog

Spraying Again.......

Well had a break of a few weeks, now back on the job. So now have a Red Oxide boat rather than Yellow one……………… Although these next stages are a bit ‘ samey’, I have learnt a few things as it happens. For example, I had put three coats of the Halfords filler/ on a couple of days before I had a break. Now when I left it all looked dry, well covered and ‘solid’. When I came back to it some weeks later the longer drying period had shown up some gaps. Well not gaps actually but ‘mouths’ where tissue I had overlapped had pulled apart slightly. interesting, easily fixed with some 240 grit sanding, showing that the drying period is longer than it would appear. At least for filler/ which is a much thicker substance than just spray paint. With the sanding, I had not appreciated the difference between the grades say from 240 upwards (or is it downwards) as my experience was with doorframes and floorboards. For the stage I am at, 240 and 400 seem very effective and leave a good surface. What I did find was how important dust becomes……………… The sandpaper rides on it (the powdery dust) and so becomes much less effective and I found brushing with a thin 2 inch brush worked well, using the vacuum cleaner to clear up later. I did try blowing it off with the heat gun but that put the dust up in the air too much. it is my intention to try ‘wet and dry’ approach for later coats and looking for a better answer when it comes to finishing coats. Another interesting discovery was coverage per rattle can. It may be my ‘beginner’ technique, but it seems to take a lot of paint. On this size of boat hull, 44inches (112cm) by 14 inches (36 cm), it took a 500ml rattle can of yellow filler/ for three coats. For two coats of the red it took the whole of a 300ml can. Also discovered, using these ‘rattle cans’ for the first time, that the on its own comes out differently to the filler . This unsettled me for a minute or so but appreciate may be due to the different density so will be aware next time. Another issue that became obvious was…………..I must improve my ‘masking off’ ! So that is it so far. Next stage is - going to buy a couple more cans for the finishing coats, do a bath test, mark the white line point, more sanding down and then start applying the finishing coats. Any helpful comments will be much appreciated. NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Cleaning sails, toy yachts, etc....

Here's the yacht after the first coat of red enamel and the keel sprayed with self etch ready for the green later, but it's raining, dammit! Martin

5 years ago by Westquay