Forum

Newbie

"......is there a limit to soaking time?......" This question should bring out lots of people's favourite solutions! Addressing warping is going to depend on a variety of things - what kind of wood, how bad the warp is, what caused it in the first place.... For 1/8" ply I don't usually wet it very much, since it might de- laminate. I just hold it in warm water for about 30 secs, and then clamp it in the opposite bend overnight. I might just wet the area of the warp. You want the wood to be able to dry out completely before you use it! Warps tend to return, but if the wood component is glued into position while still roughly straight, and held by other components in its correct position, it will usually stay there. Depending on the design... If the component is 'free-standing' and not secured at each end, then I would start thinking about cutting a new piece. in particular I would be quite cautious with keel pieces, since these are critical for the boat shape, and you are unlikely to assemble a hull so swiftly that a keel warp has no chance to return before it is secured in position by other components.... Note that wetting wood causes it to swell, so you can bend wood back by expanding chosen sections. it also causes the fibres on the surface of the wood to stand up, so it may be rougher after wetting and need sanding down. This swelling is particularly noticeable with balsa. if you hold a balsa construction together with pins you will end up with lots of pinholes in it, and a drop of water on each hole will cause it to close up in a matter of seconds. Very useful to do this before sealing!

5 years ago by DodgyGeezer

Forum

Transmitter-Rain Cover

Actually I am more concerned about how to keep the Transmitter dry in misty wet weather than warming my hands. Sometimes here in Canada we can be sailing our boats when a sudden squall will pop up. How to keep my transmitter dry under those conditions is my main concern. In Canada we have hand warmers to put in our gloves that work very well. Shrug off the coldest days with these "pocket furnaces." Slip warmers into gloves, pockets, hard hats or between layers of clothing. Shake to use, air-activated. Heats up to 55°C (130°F). Safe, odorless and disposable. Heats up to 10 hours.

6 years ago by Ronald

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 primer on the hull as the primer 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 primer coat through til the end.

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Response

Spraying Again.......

Hi there, the filler primer 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 primer 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 in frequently, and the final rub down with 2500 before finally polishing. This is my preferred method, but other methods will still work. Cheers Colin.

6 years ago by Colin H

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 sealer and rubbed it down with 1000 grit . 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.🤓

6 years ago by MouldBuilder

Forum

Leaking Boat!

Depends on the resin, NPJ. if it's epoxy you've bought, you need to weigh out 1/5th of the hardener to any amount of resin. Ergo...20 grams of resin, 4 grams of hardener. So get some electronic scales (very cheap and essential to the use of resin)put 20 grams in of resin and then, without touching the scales pour in drips of hardener till you have 24 or 25 grams showing on the scales. Don't go above that. Epoxy requires accuracy of measurement and endless mixing. Just mix and mix till you're fed up with it, then mix a bit more. Don't use large amounts as the heat from the curing of a large amount will set it off even quicker. Looking at your bottom picture, I see bubbles in the paint. Scrape them right off and see what's below. Probably soft wood, so scrape that out too and allow to dry thoroughly. Then in with the resin. if there's a bit of a dip, you can make your own filler by mixing fine sawdust with the resin into a peanut butter consistency and look and apply that to already wetted out surfaces. I used that on a full sized wooden canal boat. Worked a treat. When that's set, you can file it flat with a rasp and a second cut then wet'n'dry on a block to finish. Finally repaint and wax. But, as Doug says, you need to see if the water's getting in somewhere else like the shaft or rudder areas. Good luck, Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Forum

46Firefloat Mk2 paint

Unless described as flat, paint was more often a brighter satin than matt and rarely actual gloss. White will always have been an off white as the components of paints were such that it was not possible to get a really bright white. I know that for a fact as my grandad always made his own and until PEP in the mid 60s (Plastic Emulsion Paint) there was no such thing as brilliant or appliance white. Unfortunately getting an decent off white is not easy these days since Plastikote went acrylic and their previously excellent paints started eating themselves on recoating. I now use enamels exclusively. They are densely pigmented, flexible and modern enamels dry pretty quickly. I am using a black enamel primer on my Crash Tender, which I will then spray with black "gloss" from the same range, which, once thinned with white spirit, will dry a little less than glossy. I still don't have a matt brick red for the undersides, but it can be made matt-ish with a careful rub down with 1000 grit used wet and soapy, but be careful not to sand through, so very lightly does it, even 1000 grit can cut well when new. Decks were said to be Cerrux Light Deck Grey, anti-slip, which means a textured surface. That would be darker looking due to the surface texture's way with the light. The cabin sides were described as "smooth", i.e. same as the decks but not anti-slip. The roofs? Well, on Vosper's drawing "white" is crossed through and "Grey" written in. But, some pics do look white, the best pics look darker by a whisker than the sides and the roofs are clearly textured as they show evidence, as do the decks, of filth which will sit in the texture. You choose. NOBODY has yet given us chapter and verse. The fact is, an already very handsome boat looks so very pretty with white roofs. But they too should be off white if you can get it! Good luck. Fittings, btw can be had from SLEC in Watton in white metal. Basically the old Yeoman fittings, masters now owned by IP Engineering who bought them to cast when they owned Vintage Model Boat Company. Now they've sold that to SLEC, but I don't think SLEC have white metal casting facilities, so probably cast by Ivor still. I have just had a set for my birthday and they're excellent. They do need careful cleaning up as in mould lines need to be filed/scraped/sanded to a decent finish and then given good primered surface. No hook though, but it does include nav and riding lights. This site also has masts for sale in plastic, but I made my own in brass as I will the hook and davit. I have also just had a set of crew figures cast from my patterns and they will be available soon...a driver(Helm), a boss with binoculars and a lazy slob laying around in the after cockpit. Needs a roll-up to finish his look. No idea of price yet as don't know how much rubber to mould or resin to cast for a set. Yes, 1/16th scale. All this to finish a model I had 55 years ago! But I reckon it deserves it. Martin

6 years ago by Westquay

Blog

Fibreglass the hull- continued

Now the Chine rubbing strakes are fitted, dry and filled and I have attended to the minor lumps and bumps the next job is to give another coat of resin, taking the issues of the first application into account I intend to apply a thin coat, this has the effect of filling in the pattern of the glass cloth. Another two days have passed and it’s time to do some rubbing down. I have found that the surface is very hard, more so than I recall some of the other fibre glass projects I have done but these have been using Polyester resin. it’s a first for epoxy, so is epoxy a better choice than Polyester? According to my mini research –  Epoxy is more versatile  Epoxy has fewer fumes  Epoxy is stronger  Epoxy shrinks less Conclusion Epoxy is the better choice for repairing/covering either wooden hulls or repairing fiberglass boats. it has excellent adhesive qualities, wets out fiberglass fabrics and it is tough. it has great thin film cure characteristics, cures in cool temperatures. After the first coat I wasn’t 100 % happy with the finish but I just thought that some dust had landed on the surface before the resin had dried, (this was proved not to be dust but because of the matting pattern still been visible it disguised the real problem) however this was easily sanded out with wet & dry. Now the hull and deck were looking really smooth with very little sign of the matting pattern it was time to give a final coat. I had decided to coat both the deck and the hull in one go so I mixed enough resin to do the lot. Starting with the deck I started to apply the resin but to may horror it started to pin prick all over the deck surface, panic, panic what was causing this? So was it the brush which I had previously washed out with cellulose thinners after applying the last batch of resin. I decided to remove the resin and use a new brush (I had 90 mins cure time to do this) so cleaning of with paper towel and finally with a wipe with thinners I started to apply resin again – but it happened again as I sat in despair I looked into the pot of resin wondering where to go next when I saw a film on the top of the remaining resin it was then I noticed a ridge in the cups side. it was the wax coating that had melted into the resin and subsequently appeared as pin pricks in the newly applied surface. At this realisation I removed all the resin again and took a breather hoping I had found the problem. Another day and a light rub down of the deck to make sure the surface is ready to receive its final coat. Resin weighed (in a glass container this time) and well mixed I started to apply again and fortunately it was OK and all surfaces were coated.

6 years ago by mturpin013

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 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 sealer 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

6 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Sea Queen prop shaft

Obtained a length of Stainless Steel 600 mm long 5 mm diameter (it is slightly greater diameter than the Raboesch bearings), used 400 - couple (or three) rubs - check - repeat, actually it took some time but now fits, only one end, as the prop end fits the bearing. Still have to put a thread on it, will take mturpin's advice. I only actually needed a shaft about 60 mm longer than the Raboesch. One thing I forgot to mention is the fact that when I decided to up size to a 5 mm shaft, and the Raboesch maintenance free, is that the outer tube did fit the pre-made hole in the keel but there was no movement for adjustment. Making that hole larger was one of the most difficult bits up to now. Had to make - what I would call a prop shaft hole enlarger - bit of a bodge but it worked.

6 years ago by AndyG009

Forum

Sea Queen prop shaft

Go for it, but be very careful when sizing the shaft and bearing fit, use very fine 1000 until a slight interference/push fit is achieved. and for the M5 thread make sure you open the die to its max on first cut using lots of quality cutting oil and then finally finish to size gradually closing the die to it neutral size, it also helps if the die is new as Silver Steel is quite hard in its natural state. (sorry if this was teaching Granny to suck eggs)

6 years ago by mturpin013

Forum

Which Paint?

I've always used the Halfords rattle cans for all my boats and never had any problems. Are you using a tacky cloth before you sprayed your boats ? As I have found it helps to remove any oily/greasy deposits , I always wipe down after each coat of paint after rubbing down with 2500grit paper .

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Back to the main hull Have finally got the hull sprayed today with this heat it has been drying faster than I can spray it on 😄 Firstly the hull was sanded with a 200grit paper to sand of the shiny coating to give the paint something to key too. It has had three coats of undercoat sanded with 2500grít paper between each coat.the undercoat used was Halfords rattle can plastic primer. Then the lower hull colour was sprayed on again three coats sanded with 2500grit paper between each coat.colour used was Halfords rattle can ford arctic blue. the top half of the hull was sprayed with two coats only with it being black plus I didn't have enough paint to give it a third coat😋 colour used was Halfords rattle can satin black. Finally the hull was sprayed with Halfords rattle can clear lacquer three coats sanded with 2500grit paper between each coat.

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

Forum

Bristol pilot cutter mascotte

Thanks Doug it took about 4 weeks in total to complete the planking. The varnish is Wilko's own brand clear gloss yacht varnish which was sanded with fine sand paper between each coat to get that smooth finish on the final coat. I will show all the hand made fittings next which I have already started making Ron

6 years ago by kmbcsecretary

Response

Doors

Hi Colin, I think the wood for the doors is about 2mm thick, a thin strip slightly wider than 2mm of plasticard is super glued around the edge, then using sanded flush front and back. After drilling the hole for the porthole, the whole lot was given a couple of coats of Halfords clear lacquer and the knob stuck on. 👍

6 years ago by AlanP

Blog

Bulwark capping

So, here we go again. Bulwark capping, I didn't have a piece of teak wide enough to cut these out off, so two strips of teak were cut to the relevant size on the band saw and sanded. A large piece of plywood was laid on the top of the hull, the hull outline was drawn onto the plywood, blocks of wood were secured to the plywood to hold the strips of teak in place but exaggerating the curve. [To allow for spring back] The teak was soaked overnight, the next day it was soaked in boiling water a few times, whilst still hot and wet it was placed in the blocks to dry. I had to alter the blocks once to gain a bit more curve. After the strips were properly dried, the top and sides of the strips were given two coats of finishing resin and left to dry, then the underside was coated with super glue and left the dry. Then the tricky bit, wearing my best glasses I applied with the aid of a tooth pick super glue to the tops and bulwark supports and fitted the capping's. The piece around the stern was cut out of one piece and looks alright.

6 years ago by AlanP

Forum

Spraying/hand painting

After modding my Sea Queen with the new prop shaft I decided to smarten it up as the previous spray job I did was not too good, well I have had terrible trouble with it, the first attempt saw the original paint raise as I sprayed it with a primer that was supposed to be safe with all paints, so I removed as much as i could using the heat gun and a scraper, after sanding down and filling, I started again, i had some small patches raise up where I could not get the original paint completely removed, but after letting it dry and some I managed to get a good primer coat on it. I then decided to spray it all white, so as I have always had good results with halfords own brand I gave it some light coats of white gloss, I was unable to get a reasonable gloss finish and it also needed some more filling, funny how a gloss coat show up all the defects, well subsequent attempts at spraying were useless, run after run and a poor gloss finish. All I can think is that I could not have had the area blanketed off in the workshop warm enough and the thinners in the paint was not drying as it hit the boat and just ran. I am now half way into sanding it all back and have decided to hand paint, What is the best paint and method to getting a near spray paint finish by hand brushing?

6 years ago by RichardSReade

Forum

Spraying/hand painting

Perhaps you have answered the question your self, and after a couple of coats you should find it smooth and without blemish. This is the time to ensure there is no dust around. A good idea is to try and make a shelter around the boat and wet it before giving it the final cost of a good quality gloss paint. It really is just a matter of perseverance and you should have a great finish. Good luck! Peter581

6 years ago by Peter581

Forum

treatment

Hi John, Lets take your questions one at a time. Surface prep. Close joints are always good but not essential, glueing plastic involves a form of welding, ie the surfaces melt together forming a filler as well as a glue. Plastic weld is a model railway product which is very good, it's a liquid applied with a brush and the pieces are held until the liquid evaporates. Prep all surfaces as there might be release agents and / or fingerprints on the surface, washing up liquid is great for this, also when ready for painting wash again and lightly scuff the surface with fine paper, (600 grade). Epoxy. is not a good glue for plastic hulls and superstructures as they flex and move, epoxy is brittle and will fail over time. Finish painting with a plastic primer, (Halfords) this gives a flexible basecote, then paint as desired, i use car type acrylic paints, if you want a colour not as a car, you can get paint made up to your spec. In short, Liquid poly glue, clean before the build and when ready for paint. Hope this helps Mark

7 years ago by jarvo

Blog

Progress on the hull - At Last!

After many distractions and accumulating 'stuff' to go in and on the boat I finally got around to tidying up the hull this week. After flattening with 180 / 240 I sealed with Ezekote flattened again then sprayed with a professional grade primer / filler from the auto branch. As usual this showed up all the pits so I filled them with Revell Plasto and primed again. After going round this loop a few times I was (reasonably) happy and flattened with 600 W&D. Then sprayed on Royal Blue from a giant rattle can, also from the auto pro market. Flattened off with 1200 W&D between coats. I have Tamiya Royal Blue acrylic for my air brush as well but couldn't be bothered to set up the compressor🤔 Can worked pretty well though. 👍 Last pic shows the 'Before'! Will leave the final finishing, nameplate and lacquer coat until I have finished the internal fitting out and the cabin. Have decided to plank the cockpit with mahogany😲 just ordered from Krick! First attempt at planking - Wish me luck! I like the blue hull so much I think I will just mark the waterline with a red (or white?) boot topping stripe. Comments welcome. Cabin will be white with a blue roof. Now to continue with the new prop shaft, old one is showing signs of wear at both ends and rust at the wet end 🤔 Anyway it's got an imperial thread which is useless when all my brass props are metric. More soon, I hope 😉 Cheers Doug 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Varnish

Yup that's real GOLD, and I have used for fifty years on real boats as well as models. I rub down with 2500 after the final coat has hardened for at least two weeks. Then use a beeswax polish on a slow orbital polisher or by hand. it's really worth the effort. Best of luck Colin.

7 years ago by Colin H

Forum

Varnish

As an afterthought when you have rubbed down with used wet wash the paintwork off well allow to dry and then use a lint free cloth to make sure all the old paint dust is gone. Make sure you work over a surface you do not mind being marked since the drips from rubbing down make an excellent paint on an absorbent surface!! ( yes I made the mistake so I KNOW). its a very messy process but well worth the effort.

7 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Varnish

Exactly Haverlock👍 wet with washing up liquid between coats is what creates the polishing effect and final gloss. Something I learned the hard way back in my car restoration days. Dry sanding creates more of a 'silk/satin' or worse matt effect. 😎

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Varnish

use 600 wet for first few coats then 1200 wet then after last coat wait a few weeks and use something like "T" cut ( used to restore car paint). The is better used wet ( with a dash of washing up liquid in the water) since it cuts down on the clogging of the paper.

7 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

What paint type

Hi Scotty Welcome to the site. Just had a look on the web about Sanson Tugboat see pic. As you intend to allow the planking to show I suggest you use G4 Pond Sealer (Bondaglass Product) on your hull after you have sanded smooth to shape. You can also use on the inside. it's a polyurethane type so can be easily brush applied in thin coats and sets rock hard as well as being totally waterproof. You can overpaint if you carefully roughen the surface with paper. Once the colour is dry and any decals applied you can apply a final coat of G4 over the whole hull and it will be protected against the odd knock etc. As Doug says acrylic is easy and pleasant to use for the upper works and can be sealed with acrylic clear lacquer, I find silk works best on a scale model. Sounds like an interesting project is it a kit? If you start a build blog we can watch your progress and you will be able to ask for help and advice as the build progresses. Please keep us posted on progress. Enjoy the build Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Steaming ply- good idea or not?

Hi Chris, A way is to score the back of the piece to be curved with a sharp blade, depending on the thickness of the ply. Also lay a few pieces of kitchen paper on a flat surface and go over the piece with a rolling pin pressing hard to get a curve into the ply. Wetting the ply, test some scrap ply and see if it delaminates, if not wet it and put it round a former such as a paint can hold it with bands or straps until dry. Hope this helps Mark

7 years ago by jarvo

Forum

Paint removal

sandpaper and lots of washing up liquid go down through the grades of paper til 320 grit The worst thing you can do it try to send it all back Better to send and get a good base to start again with spray paint

7 years ago by none

Response

Jet Sprint Boat

So if things are still not going well it may be better to take the moulding you have and work from that. Chuck all the moulding away . Flat board screw the hull down on the edges. Filler and sanding and keep going til your happy with it then finer and finer sandpaper then and finished off with G3 polish then wax and pva then make the mould. Bearing in mind any blemishes in the mould will be in EVERY moulding taken.. Making the mould is not as hard as you think.

7 years ago by none

Forum

How do I resolve my varnish problem?

Hi John Having looked closely at your hull construction and joints it would appear that over time the joints have failed. I have a Mercantic with exactly the same problem. if you can sand the raised joints flat then there is a method we use on our mahogany planked schooners that provided a water tight seal and produces a very high shine finish of great strength and resilience. We use G4 pond sealer which is a polyeurethane paint available from Garden Centres. ABL Stevens are my local supplier http://www.resin-supplies.co.uk/sealants.htm Its a one-pack polyurethane varnish hardened by moisture in the atmosphere or from the material being sealed, used as a sealant for timber or a barrier coat for concrete, preventing resin being attacked by moisture or alkali's. It's brush painted, touch dry in a couple of hours, dried in 24 hrs and is fully hardened in one week. We usually apply one coat then after 24 hrs any blemishes and apply a final thin coat. We also coat the inside of the hull. If your hull has thinned in places then you could use tissue or thin glass cloth inside the hull to give added strength as others have suggested. Hope you manage to get the result you require. Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

How do I resolve my varnish problem?

Hi John, Suggest you sand as this will flatten the planking, no doubt each plank has curved slightly as the wood had dried out. Hoover out all the dust from the cracks and fill with a mahogany filler and re-flatten. The inside of the hull will also need varnishing to stop the wood drying out again. Would not advise wetting the planking to raise the grain as is normal practice as this might swell the wood and loose the filler. First use a good quality polyurathene varnish, brushed on but avoid runs, lightly sand to give a key before recoating. At this stage do not worry about the brush strokes showing. After at least 8 coats use paper to sand the surface flat. Now apply a yacht varnish that does not dry so quickly and brush strokes will on the whole disappear. I suggest at least 3 coats to finish lightly between coats. The more coats you give the deeper the shine. Use a good quality brush, a cheap brush drops hairs and does not give a smooth finish. if you look at my harbour and look at 'River Dance' you will see the finish this method can achieve. Good luck and hopes this helps. Vic

7 years ago by HoweGY177

Forum

Finishing

Hi Martin, Bin round the Talisker ? 😉 @stwdv; ignore what comes next, go to the last paragraph 😎 The scale effect (as I understand it) has nothing or little to do with shine! It refers to lightening / fading the colour to fool the brain into thinking an object is further away than it is, and therefore think it is larger. Look at any landscape photo or 'in real', hills or forests further away look lighter or more grey than the green ones in the foreground. There are pros and cons to both as Dave says. Cellulose is history, except from some nitrated cellulose solvents. in the car restoring days of my youth I remember getting crinkling if I used cellulose thinners from a different manufacturer than the paint 😡 @stwdv: if you do it veeeery carefully in very very thin misted layers (barely wet) you CAN put put a different paint on others BUT you need flat of and prime the old paint first. Pay a bit more for your primer (universal types) and ensure that the coating is absolutely complete and totally dry and hardened. Some combinations work better than others. But essentially it is better not to mix and match. it's essenentially the thinners that does the damage, less is more sometimes! Try to avoid cheap aerosols, paying a bit more avoids a lot of heartache and extra work, or throwing things in the bin 😡 They tend to have a fairly wide spread on the nozzles which wastes a lot of paint through over-spray. They also tend to be a bit thick and difficult to control the flow which can cause 'orange peeling or even runs and 'splodges' if the spray stutters. To counteract this one has to spray thinner; i.e. back off more from the object - which causes more over-spray. 🤔 The little spray cans made for modellers are much better than this in all respects than the cheap jumbo cans from the hardware store. Get a decent air brush for the big bits, then you can control the paint viscosity, flow and size and shape of the spray cone. takes a bit of practice but is worth it if you intend to build more models. But I suspect you wanted tips on the preparation! So let's cut to the chase😉 Sanding and filling are the buzz words. Checking the surface very lightly with your fingertips is much more sensitive and accurate than relying on your eyes. 🤓 When you think you got it right put on a THIN coat of primer (matched type to the finishing paint!) and you will soon see the spots you missed! So back to the filling and sanding. Use a very fine filler at this stage. Prime again and flat it off with 240 to 400 wet'ndry. Take off the residue with a damp sponge and dry!!! Go round this loop a few times and when eyes and finger tips agree you are ready for the finishing colour coats. Thin, let dry. Check for blemishes. Fix if necessary, flat off -> next coat. ALWAYS take note of paint can drying / hardening notes. Don't rush or you'll end up doing it again 😉 Hope this helps, bon chance mon ami 😎Doug PS my larger model (mostly warships!) I use resin based paints in half litre cans from the DIY shops and an airbrush. They are hard wearing, come in all colours (RAL codes) and finishes and are easy to mix and thin with turps or white spirit. They take the enamel for detailing with no problems. Snags: take longer to dry, but they are hard wearing and cheaper than millions of 14ml cans 👍

7 years ago by RNinMunich

Forum

Finishing

That's why I counselled caution with anything over acrylic...including, as it happens, acrylic. HRG enamels take a very short time to dry. in fact so much so that they sell a decelerator to slow drying time to maintain a wet edge. Very important when you're painting a narrow boat by hand, although a lot of people then use Owatrol mixed in with the enamel. I sprayed HRG enamel, thinned with white spirit and I sprayed all the parts of a kit car with it. it dried the same afternoon and was handleable the next day with ease. Needless to say it glossed beautifully, being enamel. Spray cans can be OK, but are very expensive for what they re and NEVER use over acrylic as they will wrinkle. What goes in those cans ain't pure water based acrylic, trust me. For one thing, it stinks a fair bit. I've painted enough slot car bodies to know that and what Halfords mix for you is pure, stinks-of-peardrops cellulose, whatever they might tell you. None of them know a fraction of we old painty farts know! if you can afford them, I would recommend Zero paints. They're formulated to be airbrush ready, need no thinning and are to quote the man that makes them, "cellulose only different". I did a 3 foot model narrow boat for somebody and they went on beautifully out of my Paasche Model H single mix airbrush (all you need). in fact I have also used them from my spotting gun (cheap as chips and easy to clean, IF you have a compressor). Zeros mask well too. Problem is he won't post and wants a fortune for courier. I won't play that game when I just had 2 deliveries of epoxy resin through the post. I have recently used Tamiya spray cans that were given to me (yes I really AM that tight) and they are excellent, but then, they really are cellulose. I wish I could buy cellulose, but it allegedly isn't made these days...Hmmmm. Something ending in "...ocks" comes to mind. I'd honestly stick to enamels bought from a car paint suppliers. Their wet'n'dry is cheaper too. Always talk to the organ grinder himself, never his monkey, hence auto refinishers' suppliers. Martin

7 years ago by Westquay

Forum

Sea Rover planking

Not liking to see a thread unfinished, here are the photos as promised of the finished planking. Lime planks (Ikea blinds) glued with super glue, black card for caulking, Teak edging, several coats of Halfords spray lacquer, in between coats. Final coat rubbed down with 1200 then cutting compound, and polished with car polish. Alan

7 years ago by AlanP

Forum

Fiberglassing

Hi chugalone 100 Welcome to the site. You can fibreglass with different types of resin and cloth. if you are making and casting a fibreglass hull use fibreglass matting but to cover a hull lightweight fibreglass cloth is best. This is the type shown in the suggested video. Resin can be epoxy or polyester based but the latter is generally cheaper and in my opinion is easier to use and doesn't require thinning with alcohol. it is sold as layup resin and is supplied with hardener. Do follow the instructions re quantity of each part and mix thoroughly. If you are using epoxy iso Propyl Alcohol is the type to use and is clear. The video shows using a brush to apply the resin and whilst this is OK it will give a very thick and heavy coating. I use the brush to apply and then a credit card sized piece of plasticard to spread the resin over and into the surface of the cloth resulting in an almost opaque finish with the weave showing through. You do need to have a good surface to work with as any imperfections will show when the resin hardens. Once dry give a light sanding all over to remove any imperfections and fill any holes with car body filler and sand smooth. I then apply a very thin top coat of the resin using a brush. When dry use to sand and if necessary apply further thin coats until you have the finish you require. I have a local supplier and if you visit the site http://www.resin-supplies.co.uk/product.htm all the resins/cloths etc are listed. Using Google should bring up a local supplier. you do need to follow the safety instructions to protect yourself and wear appropriate protection for your hands, eyes and breathing, it is also best to apply in a well ventilated area and not on a cold day. The end result will be well worth the effort to keep your tug waterproof. You could also paint the resin over thye inside of the hull to protect the wood from any water that doeos find its way inside. Dave

7 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Soldering 1/12 Scale Brass Railings

First take a deep breath and calm down. Soldering is easy if your only using 2mm material I would get a reel of 60/40 cored solder. Use a decent sized electric soldering iron. Clean all your joints well ( use a fine abrasive like 600 ). Apply the iron to the joint then apply the solder remove solder remove iron. You made a joint repeat until you have done. Try not to burn yourself. Clean any flux with meths and an abrasive.

7 years ago by Haverlock

Blog

Spraying the hull black.

Now that the red oxide has dried and hardened it’s time to mask it off in preparation of spraying the upper hull black. First I had to very carefully flat back the ridge in the red oxide paint left by the edge of the masking tape that might prevent the new masking tape laying flat. I chose two types of Tamiya tape, the first is the very thin and flexible type to get the sharp edge and this was then overlaid with the wider flexible variety. Once this initial masking edge was established all round the hull and at deck level I could mask up the rest fully. As an experiment and to prevent any possible bleed through of solvents through regular newspaper onto my lovely red oxide anti-fouling I chose to mask with some ’Bacofoil’ which actually works very well for this purpose as it is quite strong and easily folded and formed to the hull shape. I didn’t use too much of this from the roll, and my wife never noticed it’s absence from the kitchen whilst I was nicking it …result ! The hull was thoroughly wiped over with a tack cloth and panel wipe to remove any traces of contaminants that could spoil the paint finish and then it went into the booth. The pre-warmed paint went on very easily but at one point I noticed a bit of blooming on the surface in a few places but much to my relief this soon disappeared. Even after only one coat the finish looked very smooth and glossy. I left this first coat for a day or two to fully harden before wet flatting it down with an 800 grade abrasive. The second and third coats were applied in the same way, each left to harden for a day or more before flatting with a yet finer grades wet & dry paper. With the final coat on the finish greatly exceeded my expectations 😎 The masking tape and foil was very carefully removed to reveal a very sharp line where black meets red although this will be covered with the white ‘Trimline’ tape I bought from SHG Model Supplies at the Bristol model show in the summer. After a further couple of days drying and hardening I gave the black paint a bit of a polish with some Halfords cutting/polishing compound. I’m extremely pleased with this finish and at the same time frightened to death that I’ll ruin it in some way with a clumsy knock or in the lettering and lacquering stages 😓 …

7 years ago by robbob

Blog

Epoxy coating the hull

With the rubbing strakes fitted the hull can now receive two more coats of epoxy resin. The resin was mixed to the 30:100 ratio in sufficient quantity to coat the whole hull, and the 90 minute pot life meant that this could be done at a sensible pace. I found it best to apply a thin even coat and not to over-brush the resin, that way there were no runs and the brush did not drag, 'less is more' is always the case. The strakes absorb the resin quite well so they should be harder and more resistant to knocks. The resin was left to cure and harden for a couple of days before a rub down with a 400 grit wet & dry abrasive on a sanding block. The weave of the cloth is now fully covered and the resulting surface is remarkably smooth even at this stage. A third coat of resin builds up the finish layer and when dried resulted in a very pleasing mirror finish and the glassfibre cloth is now completely invisible! As satisfying as this shiny surface is it must be rubbed down to give a good surface for the primer paint to adhere to. I used a 1200 grit wet & dry paper with plenty of water to flatten and key the surface ready for when the painting process could be started.

8 years ago by robbob

Blog

Fibreglassing the hull bottom skins.

The hull was prepared for fibreglassing, any pins are punched below the surface, filled and rubbed down with a fine grit paper. The wood does not need any sanding sealer applied as this will react with the epoxy resin. I cut the cloth roughly to size and shape and laid onto the bottom skin, the upper edge was lightly taped with masking tape to hold it in place. The resin is mixed to the correct 100:30 ratio and stirred well, the pot life is 95 minutes and will allow me to take my time to get this right. My previous test was very helpful in establishing a working sequence and I know how the materials will react when I start working them and how much time I have before the brush stops brushing and starts dragging the resin. The cloth is folded over to the other side of the keel and a thin coat of resin applied over the skin and the side of the keel and then the fabric is carefully folded back onto the wet resin. The resin immediately starts to draw the cloth to the surface and a very light brushing from the centre outwards helps to make it smooth and flat, the remaining resin can then be gently brushed onto the cloth so that there is an even coating. The cloth needed to be pushed up against the keel sides and I used a steel rule edge to get it into the junction of hull and keel. I decided to trim the cloth just at the bow along the line of the join in the skins whilst the rein was still wet so that I would have a clean butt join in the cloth in this region instead of an overlap, probably not really necessary as an overlap should sand down ok and that join will be covered by the chine stringer, but it seemed like a good idea anyway. I did a similar thing on the keel below the propshaft and around the skeg. This was done with a sharp new Stanley knife blade without disturbing the cloth and the excess cloth removed. Once the cloth is on you must resist the urge to brush on any more resin or smooth it out any more, this first resin coating only needs to be light as subsequent coats will build up and fill the cloth weave. I let it to cure overnight and the following day is still felt tacky so I erred on the side of caution and left it for a further day until it was entirely dry to the touch. The excess cloth was then trimmed back with a sharp blade. Caution, be careful because the cut edge of the cloth is itself very sharp, as I found out the hard way! Feeling quite satisfied with these initial results and a great deal more confident I repeated the process for the other bottom skin. At this rate of progress, allowing for proper curing of the resin, it will take 8 days just to cover all five faces of the hull with cloth alone, but a wise man said 'a job worth doing is a job worth doing well' 😄

8 years ago by robbob

Forum

Volvo Penta 155 HP sound module.

Brilliant Rob !!! That is just the sound I am looking for. I am a rookie and sound modules are a new game to me. How would I go about capturing that sound and how is it done. The only thing different is that one has a wet exhaust and the boat I am building a replica of had a dry one but no matter, I'd go for that . Any info or advice would be very much appreciated. Do you have to ask for permission to use somebodies video ? What module is the one to buy etc. etc. etc.

8 years ago by Ballast

Forum

How to clean the flash from white metal

scalpel, files, LOTS of care and patience. a scalpel will pare down white metal for heavier lumps files etc. no quick fix I know of sorry.

8 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

MilliPut

Thats right Ed, once it is an even colour, no streaks, push it into position like using window putty, smooth it into shape with a wet finger, when dry, 24 hours, sand down to final shape, any dings or hollows re-apply, I sand mine with 600grit used wet, not sure what it is called in the states, final smooth sand with 1000grit again wet Mark

8 years ago by jarvo

Forum

MilliPut

mould the 2 parts together until the mix gets "sticky" then use it no worries about speed it sets fairly slowly. Wet tools smooth it out and once set, leave for 24 hours, scraping with a scalpel blade is as good a tool as any to shape it. After that sand with fine ( I use (wet)) abrasive paper and if happy paint as required. Any hollows can be filled with a little more since it sticks to itself. The only thing its useless for is as a thin layer sticking 2 parts together. it is specified as safe in drinking water tanks ( and I have seen it used in a tropical marine fish tank). You may well gather I am a fan!!!!!!!!

8 years ago by Haverlock

Response

HMS DIAMOND D35 Destroyer

The hull is in its final rubbing down stage after having three coats of white primer paint. This was then rubbed down using very fine paper. it becomes like glass ready for the sea going paint Lee. Roy

8 years ago by McCluskey

Forum

1930's Yawl

if you want to use brass wire wound to make a shoulder , first heat the wire to a dull red ( gas cooker burner is fine ) then quench in cold water. it will then be soft as the proverbial. Polish it up with some fine abrasive ( I like used dry). Now all you need is a former ( a little smaller than finished size required) wind around a couple of times and snip the loops off. You can then position the wire where required and "sweat" them together with soft solder ( back to the gas cooker). Brass and copper are both softened the same way red hot then quench.

8 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

Which Glue

HI Cororant, A tip whilst planking your boat. I do not know the planking layout so my advice will be general. First do any edge planking, Make card templates for areas that require a curved section. Join sections of planking edge to edge to cover the template and then traceround the template on your glued sections. Sand to obtain a good curve keeping the inside edge perfectly square or slightly undercut. Spray accellerator on the deck, apply CA1500to the underside of the edging. carefully position once accelerator has dried and roll down firmly with wall papering edge roller and wipe off any surplus glue with a dry cloth. Don't use a wet cloth oyerwise the glue will set immediatly and turn white. Complete rest of edging in a simular way. Cut and lay any other edging such as around a hatch cover, strips down the centre of hull etc. Now for the styrene strips to represent calking. Cut the strips of styrene wider than the thickness of your wood planking, they can be reduced with a sharp blade and sanded later . Start from the bow and lay the calking around the strips already laid. Only use a thin bead of glue and work on a few inches at a time. All done now for the main planking. Shape your first plank shaping it to fit snugly against the calking. Before glueing in place do a dry run and mark the deck where the plank will lay. Remove the plank and spray the back. Apply a small amount of CA1500 against the calking and another bead near the centre, do not apply any at the outside edge at this time. Fit the plank rollering it into place. Cut the next piece of calking strip and next plank and do a dry fit and again scribe the deck. Now apply CA 1500 to the 1st plank edge, and lay calking strip immediatly apply another bead to the inside of the calking and lay the 2nd plank pushing it hard against the 1st sandwiching the calking strip. Never apply CA to the outside edge of the plank before cutting the next calk and plank, if you do and it sets you will end up with residue glue setting that will then either set on the deck or sticking the next calking strip or planking whilst you are shaping it. IE. always leave the working edge dry. Complete process for the remainder of the planking. Hope this is of some help.

8 years ago by HoweGY177

Forum

PS Waverley

Lite ply, plasticard etc. can be bought on line with little problem. http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/acatalog/lite-ply.html I have used them and I get what I order no problem. As to scroll saws ~laughs~ I have never used one so no ideas if I have to cut normal ply I use backed saws ( razor saws are a godsend) a tenon saw is a must have. Cutting curves well I suppose a scroll saw would work but I hack parts out then shape them using a plane and abrasives ( I find to last n last) files may not be a cabinet makers cricket but I use them if they seem to be a good idea. Dremel type cutting discs work. Sorry but I just do what I can with what I have, not ideal but I have fun and that is what its all about.

9 years ago by Haverlock

Forum

First Boat--First Project -- Sea Queen Restoration

That prop tube exit looks a mess. I suggest you remove completely and refit if not too damaged. The angle is quite steep suggesting it aws used with an ic engine. if you do refit you could alter the angle to suit thy electric motor you are fitting, just make sure you leave enough room for the prop. I use plastic padding to set my prop tubes in place and if you wet your finger you can smooth the filler into a nice shape, prior to final smoothing with . Super glue is good to hold everything in place whilst you apply the filler. Not sure about your depression. if the wood feels spongy chances are water has weakened the ply laminations so it may need cutting back to sound wood and a new piece fitting. I covered my hull in glass cloth and laminating resin to make sure it remains waterproof. Takes a bit of effort and time but you can achieve a very good finish. Looks like you are winning with the hull. it will be worth the effort. Dave

9 years ago by Dave M

Forum

Boat finish

HI lenzmeg Welcolm to the forum. First what Vickers said, seel the hull, I do this with thinned epoxy coating, I get mine from easy composites in Stoke, (they do mail order) it is runny from the bottle but I add a small amount of meths as a thinner, poar into the hull and rotate the hull coating the insides all over, (dont put to much in at one go) you can always add some more but its a sod to get excess resin out!!!! (guess how I discovered) Second. is the finnish on the hull OK? if not sand back lightly and re-paint, I use Halfords rattle cans. Acrilic. you dont usualy get a reaction!!!! if the finnish is ok, use Halfords clear coat again as a rattle can. Very light sanding 1200 grad , just to key the surface. clean with thinners to remove any grease or finger prints, then use a tack cloth the remove dust. 2 or 3 light coats are better than 1 thick coat. need a warm dry place to spray, back garden on a calm day but move hull inside to dry, very light sanding inbetween coats will give a superb finish. Regards Mark

9 years ago by jarvo

Forum

Clear coat yes or no

HI Mate I was told that acrylic paint is pourouse???? Use the clear coat to seal the paint, on the Sea Queen I would use a gloss finnish, its a cruiser not a working boat. Not used sugar soap but try 1000 or 1500 for the final surface. You wont get it from Halfords, google paint finishers or chat to a local bodyshop. Hope this helps Mark

9 years ago by jarvo

Forum

Clear coat yes or no

I am building a Sea Queen,I have painted It with Halfords rattle cans and have got a really good finish on It as I used their leveller on It when It was touch dry. Question Is,should I add a clear coat or not. Somebody told me that I could use Sugarsoap Instead of a fine to take the shine off. Any advice out there?

9 years ago by randhbarker