MBerg

@SaltyScot Good idea! and actually if you click on the three dots in the top right of the post you want to save and hit 'share' you can get a link to the exact post and not just the thread. I hope that helps return the favor.

Oh yes. The cutout for the dagger board case is way too long. You're not the only one that's commented on that. Everyone I've seen mention it has filled in the extra space with scrap wood or filler. I used some scrap and sanded it down.

As someone who'll be finishing up the pram soon (provided life permits) and got my first sailboat at the end of last season,I very much appreciate the detail you put into accurately ending the rigging. Now if only there was a way to save posts for future reference...

Just stumbled upon this and read your first post. Great story! I'll follow you along on this, and try to catch up on the previous 10 pages.

I think the problem with using CA glue on painted parts isn't so much that thee CA won't hold them together, but more so that the weakest part of the joint is not the paint adhering to the wood. I suppose it depends on the application. Some attachments would be a lot safer than others. Quick update on painting and progress: There was some slight paint bleed onto the white areas, but I was able to clean it up using an X-Acto knife — worked well for sharpening the edges. I also used a stick sander to remove paint from the contact points for the floorboards and thwarts, which I’ll be working on next. I’m thinking of using a combination of CA and PVA glue: PVA for the frame supports, and CA on the sides. Part of the reason is to avoid the tedious (and risky) job of scraping paint off the sides and potentially messing up the finish. But it’s also a learning project, and I want to test how well a painted-to-painted CA joint holds up. I find most beginners around here aren't new to modeling and are typically coming from plastics. Me being completely new to modeling, the painting is a whole new thing as well so I'm learning just as much about it than anywhere else. This was before some cleaning: The edges aren't perfect, but it turned out decent enough

I bet that would work great on something like the flying dutchman which is supposed to be old, weather, and 'ghosty', but maybe not the most realistic for a ship unless doing some derelict diorama. Just finished the final coat of paint. I might need to do some touch-ups later, but the bulk of the painting is done. Looking ahead to gluing — do most people actually sand all the contact points back to bare wood after painting? I did this on my dory and it felt pretty inefficient: paint everything, sand it back down, glue parts together, then do touch-ups. I understand bare wood is important for a strong bond, but is there a better way? I’ve thought about taping off glue spots before painting, but with all the tiny areas involved, it seems like that would just complicate things even more. Next up: the tiller. That should keep me busy while the hull paint fully cures. I may need another coat on the rudder and centerboard as well.

Looking good so far! I'm just slightly ahead of you, (though I started mid last year! ). As for the mast step, I broke my top piece in half as well. Seems like a common thing. Though I didn't put the bottom layer between the frames with the top layer across. If that's how the instructions call it, I absolutely did not catch that.

Just so I'm clear on your description. Are you saying the thinner I used to thin the paint is also used to clean the brush? (I've been thinning with water, but finally just got some proper thinner today)

Trying to keep the momentum going I made some more progress painting tonight. I probably painted for a good hour, slow and methodical. By the time I finished the initial coat, I still had plenty of paint left and other areas had dried so I just kept going back and overlapping. Not sure if that's good practice or not, but it seemed to work okay. Trying to spend a bit more time and energy on the areas that will be visible as well.

I searched around a bit. I'm finding anything from 'chemicals used in acrylic paint are bad for natural fibres' to 'natural fibres don't take to loads of water very well' as below. "The reason that synthetic brushes are often used for painting with acrylics is that the hairs are not damaged after soaking in water. The synthetic fibers also are durable if acrylic paint partially dries in the brush. Let’s face it, acrylic paint dries really fast and can subject the brush to extremely damaging conditions. The animal hair used in making natural hair brushes, on the other hand, can absorb water. Soaking these brushes in water for a long period of time can ruin the natural hairs." It sounds kind of like synthetic fibres reject the paint and natural fibres draw it up the hairs and into the ferrel. I guess this doesn't happen with oil paints because they're not water based, and don't dry so fast. Seems like drawing the water out of the acrylic would also cause the paint to dry even faster on or off the brush.

Finished the exterior with about 8 coats - looking really good. Decided to tackle the inside tonight with the first coat... All I can say is - it's a good thing a lot of this is going to be covered by floor boards and thwarts. 😳

Well.... That's interesting advice. I don't recall the type being listed I bought them. Is there a way to know by look and feel? I have no issue getting some new brushes if needed, I just want to make sure I get the right ones that'll last. I also have no idea what constitutes a 'good brush'. I generally just try to find something in the 5 to 10 dollar range. 🤷‍♀️ I mean, if there's a specific brand recommended, I have no problem just buying that to avoid getting the wrong thing. Thanks again

Appreciate the additional comments. I don't have a wire brush at the moment anyways. It's been soaking overnight, I'll clean it up and take a look shortly. Good to know it's generally not a big concern. I just ordered some proper thinner, retarder and some better paint (been using ME kit paint). I expect these to make things a bit easier, but thinking ahead, I keep wondering if investing in an airbrush would be worthwhile. I'm only working on small boats so far and in already predicting some issues with larger projects.

Quick update: I’ve been making progress on painting and finally feel like I’m getting past the mental block I had with this one. Doing some research and reading responses here helped me find some clarity. This time around, I’m taking a different approach than I did with the dory. That one got about three diluted coats—this pram is now at six and still building. The white paint is part of the challenge, but it’s improving with each layer. I hadn’t realized a dozen coats could be normal when brushing acrylics. It’s not perfect—some uneven spots where it pooled—but good enough for a work boat at this scale. I plan to experiment with retarder, proper thinner, and sanding sealer next time, as Jim recommended. I’ll probably hold off until after the smack, but I’m also considering better-quality paint, since the ME paints seem a bit grainy and don’t thin well—possibly part of the issue. Either way, it’s a learning model, and I’m glad to be moving forward again. Thanks for following along. Matt EDIT: One my my biggest realizations is that acrylics dry so damn fast you can apply 3 coats in an hour. I also washed out an old container that I can use to batch thin paint for a day. Before today I was pouring onto a pallet, thinning, painting and tossing the rest. Batching it in a sealed container and not waiting 12-24 hours to apply the next coat is making a huge difference!

Thank you all! Yes, acrylic so luckily the 'easiest' option. I'll try some of the solvents mentioned and soaking. I have that brush soap and it's great, it just didn't save the deep stuff on this one (I think I got it after a few paintings). I'll check out some brass brushes to help down the road.