Forum

getting old

Painting a piece of ply with sanding today, I managed to dip my brush into my mug of tea instead of the sanding , TWICE, the only upside is I didn't drink the sanding (that will probably happen next year) 😁 Alan

7 years ago by AlanP

Blog

Kort Nozzles and Becker Rudders!

Kort Nozzles supports were easy to assemble! It about 6 pieces of formed ply! Just had to glue them together! Set aside to dry! Oh, I didn't have wood . So. I used thin Cyano to seal the wood! I'm sure others may disagree. With that technique! But, It's just temporary. Until I can order some Ezecoat! Recommended by RNinMunich "Doug"! After working on the Becker Rudders. For a day and a haft! I am finally finished with assembling them! They should completely dry by Saturday morning! Surprisingly, they do work! But, I feel that the brass ones will be better! Tomorrow Saturday, I will be laying the deck! As after working with the becker rudders. I found I can disassemble them when needed! But, may have to glue them in place. After, I receive the brass ones!

4 years ago by figtree7nts

Forum

EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft

Most of the good stuff has gone now, most solvent based sanding s etc are waterbased now, (even car paints are going waterbased). Waterbased stuff just doesn't get the same results as the old paints etc (fade like mad down here in NZ sun) and are not much good if you don't want to wet your project, or later paint with acrylic enamel (solvent based) or enamel. On the other hand, I use painters (art) acrylic paints for some finishing work and interiors on the models. It's totally waterproof and you can mix any colour you like. I've used the metallics on the rudders and props on my HSL (even the boot topping stripe) and it's stuck really well, despite the props spinning at 15000 rpm max revs. I guess it can have a place on certain modelling jobs. John B

4 years ago by jbkiwi

Forum

WaterProofing and Painting

To answer your question first, I would seal the wood inside and out with several coats of sanding or primer - checking that the glue joints are sound first - and then use cellulose car spray for the final colour. Once decals are in place a final coal of car lacquer is a good idea. But you will find that everyone has their own approach to painting. Many people would advise covering with a fibreglass skin and epoxy, particularly as it's a racing boat... Is it this Dumas kit? http://www.dumasproducts.com/product_info.php?products_id=391 I believe that that boat kit comes in different sizes, and has been around since the 1970s. It's a racing hydroplane, and not the first choice I would have made for a beginner to model boating! Here is a video of an electric one running: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb0kYvPZOe4 You may just intend to build it as a display item, but if you are thinking of running it then you may find a bit more advice helpful? I suppose that the first point to make is that that old World Engines radio is quite out of date. If it's 27Mhz it's still legal, but, even if you have all the bits for it I would advise against running anything with a vintage radio which may be unreliable. Don't throw it away - it's worth good money to a vintage collector - but a modern 2.4Ghz set will be much more reliable. I see that the boat comes with an I/C motor. If you are not experienced with model boats I suspect that you have not used one of these? Again, these are becoming a bit of a specialist skill since so many lakes ban their use. Converting the boat to electric would bring it more into line with modern practice. Common advice is for beginners who have little experience to go and talk to the nearest club, and I think that applies in spades here! Racing boats run fast, need careful expert set-up, and are easy to crash - possibly damaging more than just your boat in the process. A club will have more experienced members who know where to run the boat safely, will help you set it up, and may let you practice with simpler boats to learn how to do things properly before taking your (and your uncle and grandfather's) pride and joy out on the lake... Here's someone else with a similar problem to yours... https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1661638-1970-s-Pay-n-Pak-boat-NEED-HELP%21

4 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Response

Re: Steampunk Pike.

As you wish Red. But if you're serious about building Memo's Nautilus you ain't gonna find more info and advice than on that disc. And that straight from the Disney horse's mouth. Confusing is that sometimes they mention DVD and sometimes CD!? Happy trawling the Net, I did too, but didn't find a more comprehensive collection of info and data than that. Lots of vague plans, but then what? Material: "Wood seems an odd material to make a submarine from - so where do you go from there..........." My U25 hull is made from four 3cm planks of wood. Lots of carving and checking with templates and swearing. Then wood , more sanding 🤔 primer, three coats of resin based RAL 7035 paint. Brush quick or your brush will stick to the hull😭 Later spraying upper and lower hull with appropriate Revell enamels, light grey and mid/dark grey respectively. No ingress of water or other damage incurred over the last 25 or so years.😊 Advantage is better thermal insulation from the cold water surrounding the hull than with thin plastic. "plastic does not like the "African" sun much"! For several days now we have had temperatures of 35 to 40°C, new record for Germany in June was set yesterday☀️. Expected to climb further to a new record peak on Sunday!😎 I note that today, and the foreseeable/forecast-able future Cape has temperatures of around 13 to 15°C. I remember being in Jo'burg/Pretoria some years ago towards the end of November. We went to the Zoo with temperature around 35°C and while refreshing ourselves sitting outside the cafe there were astounded to to witness the arrival of a class of young school kids and a Father Christmas wearing the full red arctic outfit with hat and beard. I started melting just looking at him 😂 During my time in Cape Town and Simonstown, also shortly before Christmas, the temperatures were a very comfortable 25 to 30°C. Where are you? Of course various plastics deform at various temperatures, so 'Taste and Try Before You Buy'. (With thanks to Savoy Brown - see attached Utube clip😉) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNyzrOM5RR4 Check the specs of the type of plastic you are considering buying for your build. Some are specially developed I believe for minimal deformation at higher temperatures. BTW: Joburgsailor seems to do all right with the materials he uses under the African sun👍 See his blogs and post on this site about his magnificent MEKO frigate. (A ship class I also worked on for other countries!) Whatever floats your boat Red 😊 have fun doing it, that's what it's all really about! Cheers, Doug 😎 BTW; wish we had your grocery prices here🤔 85US$ = about €75. Which is around 20 or 15% of my monthly grocery bill of around €400-500!

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Re: Veronica build. London sailing barge

Hi Ken, First I would sand to shape more so you won't need so much filler. If the filler is too thick it may be more prone to rattling out with knocks and vibration. When I did the 'orrible 'ull on the fish cutter I inherited I first sanded to shape as close as I could. I had already beefed up the hull by applying FG tissue and Ezekote on the inside, just in case it might fall apart on removing the 1/16" or so of ancient oil based paints.😮 When happy with the form I applied wood . THEN filler, then Ezekote resin AFTER the filler was fully hardened and sanded back. This ensures that the filler is fully sealed in and the hull watertight. If you apply the filler over the resin it may be more prone to 'coming unstuck' 😭 Here my Blog so far on the cutter restoration and conversion from static to RC. https://model-boats.com/blogs/43305#43307 Pics attached show what I had to start with 🤔 Current status and how I got there in the Blog. Happy filling, cheers, Doug😎

4 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

hull trouble on vintage yacht

Well Doug, I also have done it hat way before painting. But it seemed like it was being advised as a top coat . I always use Eze-Kote now on all the vintage refurb. Cheers Colin.

5 years ago by Colin H

Blog

Hull finishing touches

The Huntsman Hull has now had the finishing touches applied...Sanding , 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 primer... 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

Blog

Basic hull construction completed

This week has been about getting the basic hull construction completed and especially the tricky bow. This was done in three stages; the first group of pictures shows the four balsa blocks being roughly sanded to shape. The instructions were good here as they recommended the required curves be shaped using sandpaper wrapped around an aerosol can....This being achieved, the next stage was to fill all the gaps around the balsa blocks with P38 and sand back to smooth out the curves. The 3rd stage was to fully coat the entire hull with Balsa Lite fine surface filler and sand back to wood so that all the fine grain imperfections are filled. I'm very happy with the results, but now concerned that too much has been sanded off the bow to get those curves...What do you think? 😉 Next stage is to apply a couple of thin coats of sanding and then onto covering with 35gsm lightweight glassfibre fabric and Eze-Kote to give the hull more strength and durability.

5 years ago by StuartE

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 and lacquer. Does the plasticard need a plastic primer?

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Vanishing

Hi All Hot weather, so two coats of and two coats of matt vanish. Deck finished and onto the wheelhouse. Canabus

5 years ago by canabus

Blog

Deck Planking

Hi All Finished the deck, so a few coats of wood and matt vanish in the next week. Canabus

5 years ago by canabus

Response

Spraying Again.......

Just to feel comfortable I am going to go with a matt of some sought............ NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Painting

I have a Huntsman 31 model I am refurbishing. The paint is peeling off from age, the muppet who painted it only applied one coat (Me), the Humbrol enamel was probably too thick for the fine grain of the birch ply and spruce. I am planning to start with cellulose sanding as it is nice and thin so should get a good key into the grain. So.. What paint should I use over the ? Some parts of the ply I want to look like teak deck planking so first I think I need a stain. Then line in the planks with fibre tip pen followed by what type of varnish? Some of the spruce needs to look like mahogany so do I stain it or use some sort of paint? Thanks Steve

5 years ago by steve-d

Forum

Painting

My cabinet maker Granddad always said to stain the finish , never the wood, as stain can kill a grain. He would always use shellac/French Polish and then stain over that with a stain filled further coat of french polish. The same is done with real Rivas and no other boat can claim the finish that Riva always got with stain over Epiphanes varnish. I use cellulose sanding on the wood, then a spirit based stain (NEVER acrylic water based muck) on the sanding and then varnish, proper spar varnish to get that lovely glow. I have always used steamed Pear to represent mahogany in scale, but it does need a little darkening and that's how I do it. That way you control the colour, but don't "kill" the grain. Grandad also said , "always cut wood, boy, don't scratch it, make it bleed", so I became a dab hand with a cabinet scraper and use very little sandpaper. Here, as they say, is one I made earlier using exactly these methods. Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Painting

If you intend to stain the wood don't use sanding first as the name suggests it seals so your stain won't take. as for simulated planking I suggest you sand the deck as smooth as possible (down to 1000 grit paper) and the using a scalpel type blade score the deck lines, but be careful as any slip will show on the final deck. After scoring the lines use a stain to rub over the deck and immediately remove the excess with a cloth, the stain will have more effect in the scores thus showing deck lines. When dry remove any excess with white spirit and leave to thoroughly dry, then sand again. This should leave you with a planked deck look which can now be sealed followed by coats of lacquer - Halfords do a clear lacquer. I suggest you try on a piece of scrap ply first. good luck

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Paints

I am a bit stuck as to what type of paints to use on my Thornycroft MTB. Do I use gloss or matt? What type of paint is suggested Acrylic, emulsion, etc? Who can supply - say - 250ml of any recommended paint as I will probably need to apply at least two coats. I have already applied sanding and undercoat and now need finishing paints. One for under hull and t'other for topsides. Any suggestions for a supplier would be greatly appreciated.

5 years ago by Morkullen

Forum

St Canute Planking Help?

I agree with Doug. But the ezepoxy and glass cloth s necessary for strength. I have made the top cowling of my Darby stepped hydro of balsa to save top ham,per, but despite coats of sanding the knocks keep coming and spoiling the surface, so you will need the epoxy/glass combo to get a good finish. And, of course St. Canute is a steel plated ship anyway, so you need a good hard surface to get a decant paint finish that won't show every tap and knock. Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Sadolin

Hi Gardener, Don't know the Sadolin stuff, I use Billing Boats stains meself, BUT whatever you use, esp on balsa, apply a coupla coats of first. Then at least one or two coats of clear satin varnish; e.g. from Lord Nelson range from Holland. THEN AND ONLY then, apply your stain til you get the depth of colour you want. After that seal with matt, satin or gloss varnish / lacquer according to taste😉 That's the way I did my Sea Scout 'Jessica' renovation, see blog on this site for results!!! Coupla sample pics attached. The whole process is described in the Blog. Otherwise the balsa will soak up all your stain and still not look right 🤔 A 'preserver' as such is not normally necessary if the wood is properly treated inside and out; , stain, varnish etc! Or just EzeKote resin inside. Stain no needed inside of course. Good luck and above all have fun with your endeavours. 👍 Keep us 'up to date' ('on the running' as my German friends would say; 'auf den Laufenden'!) 😁 Cheers, Doug 😎 PS I like Danish Blue meself 😁😁 On the other hand; I wouldn't have used balsa for speedboat deck in the first place. I use a close grained marine ply 0,8 or 1.0mm. Takes the stain better and looks more realistic. Balsa is too coarse grained for stain and varnish on scale speedboats. Thick coat of paint ... OK. On the cabin roof and after deck (which I had to renew) I used 1.5mm mahogany veneer. If I had to do it again I would use a close grained 0.8mm marine ply (birch or pear) and cherry stain (also Billing) as I used on 'Jessica's deck.

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Life Rings

The white metal fittings supplied with the kit are somewhat lacking in detail and some are overweight to say the least. I decided to produce some life rings to my specification I had tried to find suitable replacements on the web without success. So how to produce the ring part. I first tried with plywood but the finish achievable was not acceptable (can be seen in the pictures) so I then decided to use Bamboo (Ikea phone stand) for those who have followed from the start the same material as the grating on the foam tanks. First I cut some rough circles out of 10mm bamboo sheet and drilled a 10mm hole so it can be mounted on a 10mm screw mandrel. This allows the piece to machined on one side and then reversed and machined on the other side. The tool I used was ground with a 22 mm radius to produce the shape on one side of the ring and then when reversed and machined again the tool actually “parts off” the ring on the inner diameter leaving the ring free on the now remaining peg, the finish on the bamboo was good enough without any further sanding. The next step was to put a slot in the OD at 90degree intervals to hold the “rope” in position while the rope is bound in four places. The easiest way was to make a jig to hold the ring and to keep the rope in place while it’s glued into ring, it can then be removed and bound in four places each turn being super glued to keep it in place. Next job is to give a coat of sanding that stiffens the rope and seals the wood. The rings are theoretically held to the cabin roof with clamp type brackets so again to ensure consistency I machined a piece with a suitable profile. I then cut radial slices to create individual brackets. The rings will actually be fastened to the cabin roof with 2 x 8BA bolts this is to enable them to be removed for painting of both the ring and the roof. At a later painting stage, I will be giving them two coats of grey primer and three coats of white, then hand painting the rope loops with red paint. The finished rings are much lighter and hopefully look more realistic.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Rebuild starts

Well it has been a while but I can now continue with the renovation. I have purchased most of the weaponry from Battlecraft and I must say that I am impressed with the quality. I will add pictures of these later in the build. I have started to prime all of the wood. Removal of the final areas of the original paint was a task but I got there in the end. I have applied sanding and rubbed it down with 1000 grit wet and dry. it is starting to look and feel quite smooth. Have you built the 50cal guns yet Doug? I would like to buy some but I am concerned that they might be a little brittle for me to handle.🤔 Just a couple of questions to ask before I get on. Can I have suggestions as to who supplies good quality wooden kits to build at reasonable prices. I need to consider my next project. I want to buy a 0.8mm air brush for the larger areas as I am finding 0.5mm too small. I have my eyes on an Iwata HP-EP. This is for sale on ebay new at £122. Are there any suggestions for a better and or cheaper solution. Thanks.🤓

5 years ago by MouldBuilder

Blog

Renovating my Aerokits Patrol Torpedo Boat.

Started the long job of sanding down today. I think this is going to take a while. During last week I spent the time removing all of the deck parts still attached. The motor, rc gear, rudder, batteries and prop shaft have also been removed leaving the basic hull and decking superstructures. I have visited my local model shop today to see if I can sort out the paint. I have decided on acrylic but the cans are so small that I would need loads. I also cannot find a suitable red for the hull bottom. I am looking for matt. I was also considering making the main colour Pacific Green or similar. I have found Navy Grey which might have to do. If anybody can help with where to source suitable paint in reasonable quantity I would be grateful. I have purchased the sanding and primer. I was considering air brushing the whole project but not so sure now. Any thoughts?😁 I have taken pictures of the progress so far. A lot of sanding still awaits me.😡 I purchased two Mk 17 gun carriages for the tubs. I cannot believe it but they fit perfectly. A picture of these is also below. One last question for now. Should I brush paint, air brush or spray can. The boat is 40" long. Another long day of sanding tomorrow but with greater care as I am tackling the skins. I remember how thin these were when I originally constructed the model.🤔

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Response

Still Stripping......With Care!

Evenin' Neville, I told you you'd get the hang of it pretty quick. (It was either that or you'd burn the house down😲)😁 Seriously; I'm proud of you👍 You had the guts to give it a go and you're learning fast 👍 Hat off Sir! A few observations; (Colin might also have some at this point, had a very nice chat with him on the phone this afternoon - but that's another Encyclopedia Britannica!) #1 if the paint scraps are smoking the gun is too hot or too close, or moving too slow. Wind it down to 350 and see how that goes. Back up to ~400 if seems necessary. #2 Bow cracks; I see a bodge up there where someone couldn't bend the skin properly or, benefit of the doubt (In dubio pro reo!), maybe it was collision damage. Whatever; filler in a thin crack will always vibrate out again sometime😡 Try to get at the inside and seal it with two layers of fibreglass tissue well soaked in resin, EzeKote is what I used. Wait about 10 minutes before applying second layer. Then it should bond well with the first. When that has set (ca 20 - 30 minutes) then you can apply some fine filler from the outside. When set sand smooth and seal the whole hull outside with two layers of FG tissue. Sand smooth and if any bare wood appears apply wood or EzeKote thinned with 10% warm water. Don't overdo the water or it takes yonks to dry and set - Yes, it happened to me🤔 Then continue with priming / finishing as described above; or look in my Sea Scout 'Jessica' blog for the fine details. The beauty of using EzeKote for all this is that you can get a whole hull done inside and out in one day and no mixing ratios to cock up😊👍 If it's any consolation to you; when I did all this on my fish cutter and PTB loads of filler went soft and fell out as well, and the 'goo' holding the prop shafts in my PTB as well. No sweat as I wanted to realign the shafts anyway! TIP: I removed all shafts rudders and any other protrusions in the way so there were no 'twiddly' bits left to make things awkward. Leaving the odd patch of sanded paint which is still firmly fixed to the wood is OK; as long as you can't feel a 'bump' with your finger tips and you are going to seal it with resin and primer anyway. Then it can't react with the new paint. Here endeth the 3039th epistle from Admiral Doug. Will all dissenters, contradictors and other lobbyists and Trump lawyers please queue up at the Spanish inquisition Office next door. Take a number, we'll grill you in turn 😁😁 How do you like your stake? Cheers All, Happy building and renovating, Doug 😎 Now back to me fish cutter gearbox, mechanical gubbinses are not really my strength🤔 HAMMER, have you got a minute please!? (Viewing / reading tip; click on the thread title, then you can read the the structured version in paragraphs as I wrote it 😉)

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Mid Deck

Now I am in the swing of planking I may as well do all the remaining decks that need planking. Therefore, very much the same procedure as before with a mahogany border, followed by caulking the inside edges of the mahogany border, then cutting the planks roughly to length, and then finally trimming on the disc sander for an exact fit. When all he planks have been dry fitted, they can are removed and glued with aliphatic glue. A couple of days to completely dry then it’s on with the sanding before finishing with sanding I marked all the nail holes using the marking tool I made. This is all on this deck until final finishing which will be done with all the other decks.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Blog

Bit of a problem.............

Well if you have read the “Leaking Boat” thread you will know that my cunning plan to fix the leak failed………….. Even after drilling holes in the boat (?!?!), pouring in and persuading my ‘assistant’ (I think I am married to her, but it was a long time ago now to be sure) to shake the boat as you would a cocktail shaker to distribute the fluid over the insides (not seen her move like that in thirty years)……………………..Did not do the trick. Yes I know you told me! I am now not in a place I wanted to be. No sailing for it this season, facing the prospect of a lot of dust and over-spray and trying to apply skills I do not have. I am at the edge of my” River of Styx”. The images show I have reluctantly collected together items I have for stripping paint. The large wire brush I have in my other hand! So I have had a bit of a go at the ‘red stuff’. Looks like a large area to tackle and then I went to investigate that ‘funny bit’ on the side of the bow. Well bits of filler flew off in all directions and exposed this crack which I hope you can see to the right of the metal rule. Could this be the source of the leak? Well it is two compartments away from where the water collects. On the other hand someone mentioned water passing along the ‘layers?......... Am I really going to need to strip all the paintwork down to the wood or is there something else I could look for as a clue? Most of September I will not be able to function much so I will have a good go whilst I can. It really does seem to suggest I have “bought a pup”. All the best. NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Leaking Boat!

NPJ, Dust isn't a problem until you come to refinishing. Do it all outside. I always spray outside and still do it up wind. Sprayed cellulose grey primer on my Crash Tender on Saturday and primer and off white enamel on my Chris Craft yesterday in a breeze, so stood upwind of it and all was well. Also rubbed down cellulose sanding , dry. Dust just blew away. There's always a way round stuff. Cheers, Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Blog

Aft cockpit deck

I first cut the base material to size allowing a card thickness all round for final clearances. The lower deck has a number of features in it that need to be measured. I took dimensions from the plans and marked out the base. Again following the upper deck which has a mahogany boarder I cut and planed a further amount of 6mm x 1.5 strips of material. I started by outlining the mahogany boarders, Some years ago I made a mitring device for picture framing which has come in very handy for doing the corners. Having all the pieces cut they are then glued and temporally pinned in position until set. The next job is to prepare all the edges with black card and then measuring each plank across the width starting from the centre line. I must take into account how the planks sit against main access hatch and the battery hatch opening however, all seems to look good but until each plank is positioned and glued with its caulk divider it’s difficult to tell. When preparing each plank I first cut each piece oversize with wire cutters then using the disc sander I trim square one end, then place in position and mark for final length and finish again on the disc sander giving each plank a nice push fit Because lime planking varies in colour across a batch I numbered each plank across the deck varying the pattern of colours as I cut each to length. Next I cut a number of card pieces to length and start to glue (using Aliphatic glue), plank, followed by card filler across the half width, then repeat the other side. Finally the battery hatch and main access hatch are treated in the same manner. Next comes the finishing , I use a very fine grade on my belt sander (I attach a block on the underside of the main access deck to control the sanding process) to remove the majority of excess irregularities followed by an orbital sander for a fine finish. if there is any staining by the black card residue I simply remove it with a pencil rubber. Next I put the nail holes in again using the jig I made to ensure uniform spacing and then gave a coat of sanding . Final finishing will be done as a complete assembly. Preparation of the side panels is the next process before final assembly

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Billing Boats St Canute Update

Hello everyone, it’s been a while since l made a post about my ongoing model St Canute, mainly due to the heatwave we’ve just been through, however l have just completed laying the decking strips, which l have to admit was going well until the last few strips to the edge, boy oh boy did l struggle. I jumped the instructions as they do say to plank the hull first. At times l just sat there looking at the decking trying to get a reasonable edge and curve. I have attached some photos which some of you professional model makers will spot the errors, but it’s the best l can do so long am pretty pleased with the outcome. I have a question, should l now apply some sanding to the deck strips? l am just a bit worried not to sand the deck strips too much. Any advice would be very much appreciated. I guess now l must start with the hull planking which l am apprehensive about, but hey ho it has to been done. Thanks everyone l will keep you updated from time to time, if anyone out there is also building this Billing Boat st Canute l would love to hear from you. Cheers everyone, Richard.

5 years ago by Richard7

Forum

Exciters/transducers

Great stuff. I can do that whilst waiting for the to come. Do I need to isolate (dense foam) the container from the hull or can I stick it directly on? NPJ

5 years ago by NPJ

Forum

Leaking Boat!

Seal off the gettable area with polythene put the hull in the domestic test tank then using a cycle pump put air into the sealed area watch for bubbles appearing (like looking for leaks in an inner tube) No bubbles no leak, move to the sealed area drill a small hole enough to get a football valve adapter in and again apply pressure and look for bubbles if there are bubbles and this is where the leak is you could enlarge the hole that the adaptor was fitted through and pour in some and swirl it around .or cover the whole of the exterior of the hull with a liberal coating of clear . Cheers Marky

5 years ago by marky

Response

Range Safety Launch?

Never seen the spray type! I'm happy with the brush type cos, as Donnieboy says, you can also do light glassing with it, like I did to reinforce my Gina 2 fish cutter👍 Can't see how that would go with a thin spray😲 Might be useful as a though? Motors, then leave alone for now and see how it goes. You can still use lighter LiPo batteries but preferably only with a 'LiPo safe' ESC which stops or slows down the boat when the LiPo approaches it's 'suicide voltage 😲 Cheers, Doug 😎

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Rear Deck assembly –(upper tow deck)

I propose to make the rear deck and the deck which carries the tow hook all as a complete piece that lifts out in one. Although its going to be in one piece the full assembly still has to be made as separate components so first job is to cut the individual panels again using the card inserts to make sure the end assembly has clearance. The tow hook deck is the first piece to be dealt with and epoxied as a sub assembly. Having completed the wooden frame I then took a break and did some more planking, first a mahogany boarder and then glue a black card calk around its inside edge, next cut and sand each plank to fit in the space left, these could then be glued in place with a black card calk between each plank. After a period of drying I sanded the whole surface level. Next I put the nail holes in again using the jig I made to ensure uniform spacing and then gave a coat of sanding . When the rest of the subassemblies are complete they will all be lacquered together before final assembly.

5 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Windows, stoopid question.

Colin, thanks for the kind words. The Miss Britain III is all aluminium. Thin sheet, either Litho plate or K&S Metal centre. The Miss America X is sanding and yacht varnish, brushed on with a sable brush. MBIII is 1/12th scale. MAX is 1/8th. Cheers, Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Response

54 year old Crash Tender

Boaty, it's amazing how many people HAD Taycol motors, but don't anymore, apart from our chum Doug in Munich. And I'll pick his brains later maybe for info on controlling the Taycol Supermarine in the Crash Tender. Then again, I might just set it off on one pack for slowish and switch in another for faster. I ain't into reverse. Boats don't go backuds. I've had enough real ones to know that! Two of those didn't have any gears. One had a clutch and the other didn't even have that. it starts, it goes, quickish! Always had a paddle handy in the Albatross! I'm not really into the boat club festivals of steering round stuff or backing into docks, so why trouble myself with ESCs which seem to fail often still and weren't around when I had the boat originally. I have gel cells, but the damned things have all gone dead on me, so I might see about Nimh packs when the time comes. I went to get some one shot cellulose putty to fill the cracks and grain bits and the old nail head dips. But my favourite auto paint shop said they hadn't sold it in ages and offered me some acrylic crap in a tube. Not a bloody chance!!! "Gimme the thickest brushing primer you got and it better be cellulose". Yeah, got that, he said. "So why ain't you got stopper?" No answer. Anyway I get this stuff home and it's thick, cellulose (skin forming after 3 minutes) and bang on the right shade of light grey for a Crash Tender. I shall experiment with my Chinchila dust next for the non-slip areas and mix a pot of the primer with a bit of white to do the cabin sides, when I finish spray. For the moment, I very quickly slapped it on with a brush and will leave it for today to harden then start a very big, dusty, rub down session tomorrow. OK a litre of primer ain't cheap, but it's cheaper from a car paint suppliers and it's bang on colour. it'll also do a LOT of boats! I have a black primer in enamel for Vanity, which will also go on the sides of the Crash tender, followed by black gloss enamel, but's a way down the road yet. Talking of old stuff boaty, the white enamel my dad insisted on painting the boat back in the early 60s is hard as rock! He used to get it by the 20 gallon can from a "mate on the docks". We had docks in those days. Dad called it ship enamel. We all knew what he meant. Our entire house was shades of pastel tinted ship enamel! Tints courtesy of another mate on the docks. He had a lot of mates on the docks. it was difficult to be a Cockney family and not have mates on the docks! Pics later of the slapped on grey primer, which, I should say, argued a bit with the sanding . Nuffin' a good rub down won't sort out. Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Warped wood

Hi Martin, Yes I'm very happy with it. 😊 Not the cheapest but very good. I use the whole range from Base coat Pore Filler (Sanding ) through matt, satin and full gloss varnishes. in both brushing tins, for small part brushing, and spray cans for the bigger stuff like hulls and decks. The cans don't reveal what the base is but the thinners is white spirit or any of the usual 'universal' substitutes. It's made in Holland, supposedly specially formulated specifically for model builders! But it's available all over the shop, I get mine here from Krick. Just Google Lord Nelson varnish and you'll find loads of outlets, and Hotels 🤔! For Sea Scout I used all spray; 2 base coat, 2 coats of satin varnish, as undercoat! Then 2 coats of Gloss varnish. Needless to say thin coats! And left to harden under a 300W halogen lamp😉 Lots of 'flatting' back in between culminating with 3000 wet & dry, wet with a little liquid soap. Final polish using two stage paint cutting / polishing paste from the Petrol Head world. See pics. Full details (including the bloopers😡) in my Sea Scout Build Blog. Have fun with it, cheers, Doug 😎 PS Shame about the Lupins😡, that hybrid sounds fantabulous! 😉 BTW: if you use the brushing stuff thin with 10 to 20% white spirit, otherwise you'll find, as I just did with base coat on the deck of my PTB, that it takes yonks to get the brush marks out 😆

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Warped wood

OK, Doug, you just sold me on Lord Nelson spray varnish! is it enamel? Obviously it's external capable, but I never heard of it. it would seem to have done your mahogany a treat! I have brush painted and rubbed down cellulose sanding on all the woodwork on Vanity, but will need to varnish it all eventually and whilst I find brushing varnish with a fine sable an almost therapeutic activity, there's always the risk of it building up in internal corners which is almost impossible to shift. Cheers, Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Forum

what have I got?

Bryan, yep, that is a Bassett-Lowke. I was going to say, but wifey has had me out doing stuff on and off all day. I can't moan as she's bought me a new RC set for my birthday next month. I think your Bassett-Lowke motor will be fine and the new mags from Oz sound great. My Basset-Lowke goes well with its own mags so far and is going in my Darby One Design stepped racer (a la Oulton Broad). I would keep it all as is, just do some repairs. That cabin roof looks like it could be repaired or replaced without spoiling things. Cellulose sanding is your best friend on plywood models as it puts that slight amber tinge to the wood, existing or new. Doug's yer man to advise on batteries and lecktricks generally. Looking forward to seeing this progress. Cheers, Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Fire Boat (crash tender) colours...

Evenin' Martin, just a quick thought before I hit the hay! For the non slip deck paint why don't you cover the deck with a suitable wet and dry paper? 😉 With a bit of luck you might even find some wet n dry the right shade of grey!! Don't know the size / scale you are building but maybe around 120 / 240 would do! Cut to fit, glue it down with a spray glue, I found some in the 'Creative Corner' of a garden centre near me. Also a good source of fine gauge steel, brass, copper, gold and silver wire and nylon thread, and anchor chains😉😊 Then seal with a spray-on flat or varnish, then spray a satin colour you want. Humbrol H129 might be a good substitute for 'Cerrux Deck Grey'. See Model Boat Mayhem for references to Cerrux Grey 😉 I agree the cabin sides are a much lighter shade of grey, almost white. Just ripped all the innards and deck fittings off my PTB. Just got the bare hull and shaft tubes left. Just havin' a wee dram then up the 'apples and pears to Bedfordshire' before I get tempted to sand and paint through the night. it happens sometimes 😲 G'night all, cheers Doug 😎 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

5 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Vanity, Victorian Cutter

Thanks, I used to make top end model furniture for the Home Miniaturists. it's my way of finding a connection with my cabinet maker Granddad, who was a big model boat fan too, in fact he was a founder member of the Victoria Model Steamboat Club. She is 48x9x11 plus bowsprit. Height of rig is about 4 feet also. And yes the fitting on the keel is a piece of ally box section cut in half so it becomes U section, drilled through at equal spacing for the fin keel. Then the U section is screwed with brass screws and Marineflex /adhesive to the keel, which is all solid hardwood. I did my sums and gave up, so once she was waterproof I put her in my son's fish pond and kept piling stuff in until she floated on her marks. Rigging won't be that heavy, but I made an allowance for it. Once it was floating right it turned out to need 14 1/2lbs. of ballast. BUT, that's inside. On the end of a 15" inch(ish) fin it will be less. I have 2 half bulbs cast by my other son in his back garden from my patterns. They will be bolted to the fin and faired in. Cheers, Martin

5 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Which Paint?

4 years ago I restored an old 34 inch Aerokits Crash tender. I used filler for any gaps in the joints then prepared the hull with sanding having got it really smooth. For the rest of the paintwork I first used Halfords primer then used their acrylic for the final colours. I gave it four coats of colour leaving it over a day between each coat. When painting was finished and after checking it was fully dry, I rubbed the hull down lightly using Maguires scratch remover, (also from Halfords) and got a nice shine between the deck and the red waterline. It seems to have lasted well as it has not crazed over this amount of time. The total cost of the primer, paint and especially the scratch remover was not cheap but in the long run it did work. Boaty🤓

6 years ago by boaty

Response

Sanding down.

Thanks Doug. I bought some primer but can use on another project. I will find the filler primer recommended. I bought sanding also for when I am happy with the preperation. I have a 24litre tank compressor and special regulator and moisture bottle in the line. I also bought a second airbrush with a slightly larger jet. I know that you are in Germany, but would I find the acrylic paint in large quantities in a decorating shop? Professional paint outlet? Seen tiny pots in the modelling shop but I would need loads of those. 😊

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Sealing a hull up

Hi all just after a bit of information. I use to buy sand from the local model shop but there no longer there so not able to get hold of any. What are people using? It’s not for the hull it for the decking and wheel house. Thanks

6 years ago by Vickers1979

Response

Sanding down.

Hi Peter, you're right about the sanding down. Take your time and apply a generous Dollop of Patience 😉 Any short cuts here will show up all through the painting process 🤔 See my Sea Scout 'Jessica' renovation blog re hull restoration!! My motto for painting is 'Brush for little fiddly bits, spray for big bits' e.g. hulls. I agree model shop spray cans are usually small and relatively expensive for big hull. I use giant cans from the professional suppliers, again see my Sea Scout blog for descriptions and suppliers. Also agree about care with the thin skins. After sanding and sealing, with Lord Nelson pore , I reinforced my Sea Scout inside (where I could get to!) and out with DeluxeMaterials EzeKote resin. it's not the cheapest but it's water based, doesn't pong and doesn't need mixing with hardener Brushes just wash out in warm water. Couldn't be easier 😊 Flat off starting with about 600 or 1000 grit annd work up to 3000 grit and you should end up with a finish like glass - see decks of my Sea Scout😊 For my ELCO PTB I bought Colour Coats MTB Green (from Sovereign Hobbies in UK) for the darker camo patches and italeri Flat Sky, # 4856, which is almost identical to the lighter Pacific Green for the base coat. After painting and detailing, pennant number and decals and such, I shall seal it all with a matt spray varnish. i use the big Lord Nelson spray cans for that. Re Gun Tubs: love the gun carriages but I guess they're much too big for my 28" boat. 😭 BTW: forward gun tub is too far forward. it should be further aft just in front of the screen round the bridge entrance starboard side and should be set half into the forward cabin. Just cut half of the lower section of the tub away on the inboard side to match the cabin height. See pics. You might find this Pinterest site useful for more detail👍 https://www.pinterest.de/pin/557039047643301834/ Register to get full access, it's free and you can get updates for the things that interest you. Hi Ray, attached are pdf files of the Aerokits plan. Just scale up to what you need and awaaay you go 😉 Look forward to the Blog👍 Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Sealing a hull up

Hi there. I buy sanding from this eBay trader: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500ML-Cellulose-Sanding--Clear-Seal-For-Softwood-MDF-Hardwood-/182820765369?hash=item2a90f77eb9 Robbob.

6 years ago by robbob

Forum

Sealing a hull up

Hi I buy cellulose sanding from ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500ML-Cellulose-Sanding--Clear-Seal-For-Softwood-MDF-Hardwood/182820765369?hash=item2a90f77eb9:g:xoAAAOSwT6pVwbcJ £8.60 for 500ml

6 years ago by BigAlio

Response

The Lone Ranger Rides Again or Hull Finishing ;-))

Hi Boatshed, Know what you mean about brushing and brushes! You CAN achieve the same effect with brushes, but it takes much longer, with much more flattening in between coats. So much more 'secret ingredient is needed! Brushes from DIY shops, and most model shops, you can forget 🤔 too synthetic, too coarse and too prone to shedding hairs. 😡 For tiny detailing work, esp on Plastic Magic projects, I went to an art supplies store! Prompted by the GF who is into oil and water colour painting! There you will find a great selection of very fine real hair brushes in sizes from 'Help I can't see it'! to about 1" flat, used for applying 'washes' 😉 Not cheap, but quality never is! For example; I'm using a 1/4" flat camel hair brush for renovating the wood decks of my Graf Spee and HMS Belfast with and satin varnish from the Lord nelson range. Will also apply some Jotica Oak stain to dampen the bright colour a bit. For the pinstripe / Boot Topping on the Sea Scout I'm 'Going for Gold', to be applied with the finest airbrush nozzle I have and using Tamiya masking tape to get a good clean edge. hardest part will be getting the tape on right 😲 Hope I don't mess up what I have already achieved! Cheers Doug 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

HMS HOOD by Trumpeter

Hi Steve, Great! Worth all the searching, waiting and effort 👍 A word to the wise! Don't rely completely on the self-sticky back! I made the experience with my Graf Spee that it tends to lift at the edges, and always in the most awkward places to get to 😤 - Thanks 'Murphy'! Recommend gluing round the edges with a medium thick gluper-sue!! Or sealing with a thin type if already fixed on! For my Flower Class, PoW and Bismarck & Co I shall stain the wood decks with Jotica Oak and then seal with Lord Nelson Sanding , as I also used on my Sea Scout. Followed by Lord Nelson spray satin varnish. BEFORE I fit it to the ship!! I am also going to refurb the decks of my Belfast cruiser and Graf Spee the same way. Keep on blogging, cheers Doug 😎 BTW: loved the antipodean 'deck' care instruction!! 😲😉 Would have loved to have been a 'fly on the wall' when your Missus found it! Can almost imagine the giggles 😁

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

The Saga of the Cabin Roof or - Arrrgh!

Typical of Aeorokits the cabin roof skin was made of two thin pieces of ply < 1mm. Over the 50 years or so the overhang corners had started to curl up and crack 😲 Pics 1 & 2 show the 'off the shelf' condition after 25 years of neglect 🤔. First I tried to correct this by soaking in hot water and flattening under a car battery (flattens most things😉). So far so good. Then some super glue in the cracks and back under the battery. After a day or two it just curled up again. Ho hum! Pour a glass of wine and back to the thinking board. Seconds Out - Round Two! Thought, OK make new pieces from the 0.6mm ply I still have and paint it - then my eye fell on some 1mm mahogany sheet (Ouch 😭). Tried to make the whole roof skin in one piece of this but the compound curve defeated me. The skin was steamed and soaked in hot water and clamped across the roof frame. Next morning - Arrrgh! Had started to crack along the centre line 😭 More thinks!! Carefully cut down the middle and glued and clamped the separate pieces; pics 3&4. Getting the two pieces to match in the middle was a tedious ***!!! Pic 5. Then mucho sanding. followed by 2 coats of Lord Nelson , sand back with 600 grit sanding sponge. Then two coats of Lord Nelson matt varnish, sanding with 1000 grit in between. then two coats of Lord Nelson gloss varnish, sanding with 2000 grit in between. Pic 6. So far so good, pic 6. 3rd coat of varnish and - Arrrgh 2! 😡 Pic 7. No idea why! Sand off and start again, pic 8 😭 Treated each side separately, pics 9 & 10 and flatted off with 2000 grit. Then applied three coats of clear protective lacquer, sanding with 3000 grit between coats. Finally cutting back with auto paint restorer / cutting polish and finally polishing with anti-hologram finishing polish. Pic 11. Now I'm happy 😊 Pic 12. Only took a week 😉 Next week in this theatre - "I love you too Flash but we've only got 15 minutes to save the world"! or 'Will I ever get this hull finished?" 😎

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Blog

Rear Cabin construction

today has seen the rear deck and cabin constructed. I lined the deck piece with some mahogany strip for a neater finish on the edge of the crapy liteply. Construction of the cabin was straight forward, this was followed by shaping, sanding, filling any gaps and a couple of coats of sanding ready for paint. I have also added the railings and stanchions to the roof of the cabin as a start to the detailing to come. I have ordered a book from Amazon which is a reference book of the Waveney Class lifeboats, so hopefully there will be ample photos for the detailing I hope to add as we go on!

6 years ago by Skydive130

Blog

more progress.

First job today was to reduce the rudders by 1cmx1cm which I think not only looks better but should reduce the affects that have been mentioned in comments below. Ive fitted the cockpit which I assembled yesterday. its not the best fit into the deck, however, I shall blend it all in with some balsa strip, sand, filler, sanding hopefully for a seamless finish. I have pictured the 2 x Hobbyking waterproof boat 30 amp esc. These are supposed to be water cooled, however I am not going to fit the tubing and start drilling water pickup and exit holes in the hull x 4 until I think that water cooling is going to be necessary. Once I have watt meter readings for 2S and 3S lipo, it will give me an idea what the ESC are going to be like. Of course if you guys think I need to go water cooling, please let me know! I have an Mtroniks W-tail mixer that will allow the motors to be synched to the rudders allowing the inboard motor to slow or stop when turning. Never used one before, so may need to some programming once hooked up, we shall see. Last job today was to shoot a could of coats of red oxide primer on the lower hull to see what the resin finish was like. on the whole not a bad finish at all, just a could of tiny areas that need a little sanding for a faily blemish free finish.

6 years ago by Skydive130