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Mondfeld " Historic Ship Models " |
Round about the late 19th century many experiments with bottom
composition were made on wood and iron hulls; copper and bronze paint
on transatlantic steamships, a pink mixture of red and white lead
tallow and resin on steel hulled windjammers, or a plain red lead or
red oxide.
Red anti'fouling composition was the final general choice
for metal hulls. Copper sheathing went out of fashion for all but
expensive small wooden craft. Copper sheets averaged about 4'0" x 18"
for brge ships.
Do not make your colors too brilliant, unless the
brilliance is called for, as on sternboard, or Hgurehead, etc. You
might early settle in your mind the weathered condition your model
represents:
as just off the ways ?— 1st year out ?— 10 year veteran ? Time will
deal hard and equally with all parts of the ship. The "weathering" of
the finish verges on art, which might best be left for a later model.
Crack clippers always kept their deckwork well oiled and varnished.
JAPAN COLORS, as from the tube, are thick — a small
squeezing plus a few drops of turpentine will bring the batch to the
consistency of heavy cream. Add to this a drop or two of varnish, which
will give the coat a tougher skin, and a satiny quality. Experiment for
finish. Do not apply thick coats, which tend to fill in desired detail
and round off features which should be sharp.
Plan on no more than two coats for any surface.
MARKING THE WATERLINE — Set the model on its temporary
cradle so that its waterline is level. Use dividers to determine the
bow and stern points of the waterline, Fig. 49.
Mount a pencil or other sharp point on a block of wood of
such height that the waterline is marked when drawn around the hull,
Fig. 5'0. Ideally, a machinist's surface gauge will do this job.
Paint the bottom first, to the marked waterline.
Spray painting will do a neat job—if you have the equipment. Otherwise
use a fair to good quality art brush, camel or red sable hair. In
painting to a. line, try this: Hold the model firmly but comfortably
with the left hand. Take a reasonable brushful of paint and bring it
lightly below the line ready to arc onto the line when ready. Let your
4th, 5'th and 6th fingers provide slight bearing and guidance on the
hull. Now, draw a deep breath, hold it and arc the brush to and along
the line until either your brushload or your composure fails—gently
raise the brush as the stroke continues. Practice this technique, using
ordinary enamel on a board, altering it to your own liking.
Fig. 51
Do not allow a heavy bead of paint to flow
along the line. This calls for moderation in the quantity of paint on
the brush.
Another way to get a clean cut waterline is to use
self-adhesive tape. Owing to the curvature of the hull, a wide tape
would tend to lie with puckers if laid along the waterline. This can be
reduced to a minimum by cutting the tape (on glass, to get a sharp
edge) to a narrow strip and applying it in short lengths around the
greatest curvature. Fig. 52.
Second, paint the topsides. This may call for cradling the
model in your left arm, upside down. Paint to the line first, then the
rest can be done in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Decorations and special items are painted last. Deck
furniture is painted before being placed on the deck. Note that deck
obstructions were painted a light color for safety.
The inside bulwarks may be painted a buff or light grey,
unless specific information is to be had. The waterways may be out of a
different shade or color.
In short, the brighter colors on a ship were applied at
the. whim of the captain or owners, also on availability. Custom had a
strong hand in the patterns — over which parts were light or dark, but
the color and shades were subject to choice.
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Contents
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Model
scale
Ship lines
The hull, woodworking
Holes in the hull
Gun ports
Decks, laying of
Rails and channels
Wales
Stern and galleries
Head and its rails
Figurehead
Rudder
Steering gear
Deck furniture
Windlass
Capstan
Hatches
Skylights
Hammock nettings
Painting the model, colors
Waterline
Rigging:
 The spars
Tops,
crosstrees, cheeks
Mast,
boom, gaff, yards
Lower
and upper yards,
halliards
The
double topsail
Lifts,
footropes, sheets, braces, clew garnets
Yard
bands
Making the spars
Ironwork
Bowsprit, dolphin striker,
the doublings
Top, construction
Shrouds, deadeyes, lanyards
Books & Tools,
recommendations
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