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Mike Dowling

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  1. Mike Dowling
    As I said I have been very tempted to plank the deck. I will see how it turns out because I can always plank on top. My next build obviously just has to be a scale cow !! Now, how on earth do you paint that ?!!!!!
  2. Mike Dowling
    I love it Roger !! Having done a test, methinks the best option is the sanding sealer, to be done however without shaking the tin! Thing is, sanding sealer contains talc so, if I don't shake it I don't get the talc in my laser cut grooves !! I think it will work but having said that the water and sanding also works but the paint still soaks in a lot and I only bought 30mls not a bucket full ! I have also to say that I do think sanding sealer is wonderful! It smells awful but does a really good job and I did recommend it on another build to someone else with porous wood. Maybe I should listen to my own advice.
  3. Mike Dowling
    Thank you both for that. Normally I would indeed seal the wood with the sanding sealer but my concern is that it will fill the laser cut plank lines which are not very deep at all. I do like your idea of wetting the surface first Kurt so I am tempted to try a very small area with both methods to see which works best.
  4. Mike Dowling
    Time for a winge!! I reckon that Model Shipways get their basswood from the same place as Constructo !! Both are horrible, very prone to denting and as absorbent as blotting paper. It just loves to soak up anything like water including paint and then warp in a variety of directions. I suppose if one wants to be precision accurate then mechanical engineering with metal is the answer and this sort of thing is the punishment that those of us who work with wood must put up with. Right, enough of the rant. I have now put the first deck on the hull which proved to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated. To be honest apart from the above I am not sure why it was so awkward but I had the devils own job lining up the four parts required. Anyway, they are now on, very firmly glued (!!!) and the sort of 'dog tooth' joint between the sections filled and re-scored for the imitation planking. To be perfectly honest I would have preferred to plank the deck as I have with others but I am trying to follow the destructions! I don't have an airbrush so I am intending to hand paint the deck with iron oxide coloured paint as suggested but which I have to say is very orange. My main problem is that if I water down the paint it will make the basswood far too soggy and raise the grain far too much. If I use it too thick it will fill in the laser cut plank markings. I have tested on a piece of scrap and the coverage is good and I found if I sanded it afterwards very, very gently that the wood doesn't show too much through and if anything leaves a sort of weathered effect. Any hints or opinions as how to progress gratefully received. Anyway, a couple of photos of the deck.
  5. Mike Dowling
    It's a good thought but I'm afraid much too clever for me. I shall be glad just to get the whole thing looking like it is supposed to but many thanks for your interest.
  6. Mike Dowling
    I too have been caught out before by OcCre's paper decorations be it wallpaper or decals. They promise me they are changing them but we shall see. In the meantime I photocopy everything like that first - just in case but it looks like you made a good recovery job.
  7. Mike Dowling
    I am probably being thick but I am not sure what a steam plant is. I think it sounds too complicated for me anyway.
  8. Mike Dowling
    I could do that Carl ! Don't want to upset the expert though!!! You wait until I get onto the superstructure, silk finish sounds good to me !!
  9. Mike Dowling
    Thank you very much Roger, I really appreciate that.
  10. Mike Dowling
    And here are a couple of shots of the boiler. A wee bit more paint and the steam lines to go on but otherwise done. Matt black really doesn't photograph well and I can't believe something so boring to look at could have taken so long to put together!
  11. Mike Dowling
    No sensible answer to that really Carl. I sort of gauged the size to that of my Robert E Lee Steamer and whilst I know this is a bit bigger I didn't want the stand to detract too much if that makes any sense ?! Just going back a bit to previous comments, if I paint the decks in iron oxide colour, should the paddle wheel be a brighter red or the same as the decks ?
  12. Mike Dowling
    Well folks, I made myself a stand for the beast ! Having done all the filling and sanding I tried to hand paint the hull as I don't have an airbrush. After four, yes four coats of paint it still looked absolutely dreadful. So I purchased a matt white aerosol spray paint, sanded the whole thing down again and gave it three coats of spray. Strange really, gloss paint is easy to get a smooth finish but matt (thanks Kurt) is a nightmare. Never mind, it's done now and I must admit to being rather pleased with the result. I have been building the boiler whilst waiting for the paint to be delivered and I managed to find some iron oxide acrylic paint to do the decks with, coming soon!
  13. Mike Dowling
    You do for this boat !
  14. Mike Dowling
    Thanks Kurt but God knows how you dust it !!!!
  15. Mike Dowling
    Hey there my expert friends, Should I or did you use matt paint for the hull or go for a satin finish ? I assume gloss is quite out of the question ?
  16. Mike Dowling
    That alternate planking was quite good fun I remember and it look s like you have done a super job there. If I may make one small suggestion you might find it easier to put the wallpaper on the various room walls before you start putting them together. Not wishing to interfere just a suggestion.
  17. Mike Dowling
    Thanks so much Bill for the suggestion. I found the link and it looks like a great boat but, I think it may be a bit pricey when taking into account the shipping cost and the 20% VAT we have to pay in the UK.
  18. Mike Dowling
    Gosh, where have you been Dom ? Should I PM you for more details ?!!!!!
  19. Mike Dowling
    By way of illustration of my handy tip (!!!), the hull is now filled and sanded ready to put the keel strip on and then first coat of paint.
  20. Mike Dowling
    Here is something I have found works brilliantly and may be useful for others. Before even trying to use filler on untreated wood, eg. planking I have found it well worth giving a coat of what I call dope but others call sanding sealer. If you don't seal, the wood absorbs moisture from the filler, expands and then when it eventually dries you have to start again. The filler stick fine to the treated surface without causing the expansion/ contraction. Once dry and sanded there should be little or no filler to add.
  21. Mike Dowling
    Did you forget my pictures Kurt ?
  22. Mike Dowling
    Next instalment ! The hull is now covered which I must say was a bit more of a wrestling match than previous paddle steamers I have done but I feel I have emerged victorious !! Next stage is to do some serious sanding before filling remaining gaps.
  23. Mike Dowling
    Good to have you back matey !! I look forward to more exciting episodes !!
  24. Mike Dowling
    Thanks Marv, good to have you along. A question in advance for you Kurt, why did you decide on the red deck colour scheme and should the hull really be white to be realistic or doesn't it matter ?
  25. Mike Dowling
    You are most welcome Marv. There are some more pictures of my build in the gallery if you are interested - might help with the interior but if I can help at all just let me know. Have fun.

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