Elia

Roger,
 
The case of mine shown is a type of mahogany.  It’s fairly grainy.  I believe it is finished with just a coat or two matt or satin urethane (it’s been 14 years since I made it and I don’t recall).
 
I really like your case’s stain color.
 
I am fascinated by the technique.  The chemicals evaporate, becoming a mixed gas in the closed chamber, and somehow muddle etch the copper sheet?  Were the chemical evenly spread on the cloth or blotted here and there?  The muddled effect, maybe a bad way to describe it, looks great.  Do you recall how long it took?

Thanks,
 
Elia

Roger,
 
Oh that is quite nice!  It works well with the frame wood tone (stain?).
 
Elia

John,
 
That is very attractive and sets the light colored model off well.  My case is pretty large, and I have a concern of a very dark case frame being too much of an eyesore for the size of the room it’s in.  I see this endeavor as trying to make the case not complete with the model (in tones and grain), though also not be too visually grabbing or jarring within the room.
 
A balancing act as it were.

Thanks,
 
Elia

druxey,
 
I’m afraid my rendition of faux marble finishing might be distracting from the model, though not in a good way.  It would most certainly be cheaper than the real stuff!
 
Thank you,
 
Elia

Jaager,
 
Now that could be quite nice.  Have you seen something like that done in a case before?  I imagine it certainly would add some heft to the base of the case.
 
Thank you,
 
Elia

Paul,
 
It is distracting, isn’t it? I like the idea of adding a dark ‘floor’ to the case.  Thst helps visually isolate the model from the case.
 
Thank you,
 
Elia

Gary,
 
Thanks for the quick visuals!  That helps a lot!  The green felt, or at least that example, tells me that that option may be too visually distracting to me.  I like the dark ‘floor’ example you’ve shown.  I also like the gravel example, recognizing that the stuff I’ve seen from model railroading is pretty small compared to the quick overlay you’ve provided.
 
These are quite helpful.  Thank you!
 
Elia

Jim,
 
Those are some nice cases!  The second one is ornate.  You second post linking to the inlays and strips helped me understand how that might be done.  Very nice.  
 
My thoughts were initially along the lines of applying an additional finish to the case, either to lighten it some, or to darken it.  Something to differentiate the case color from the ship wood tones.  I can deconstruct it as it’s held together by screws, with only the top panel being fully glued together (if I recall correctly).
 
I like the idea of a darker ‘floor’ inside the case, either as a solid color, or maybe a secondary insert.
 
Thank you for the ideas,
 
Elia

Shipwrights,
 
A brig model I gave as a gift many years ago has returned to me.  From the moment I put the brig into the case I wasn’t happy with the pairing.  I find the wood and details of the model compete, and are somewhat overshadowed, by the vastness of the case’s wood.  I’m looking for your thoughts on changes to the finish of the case.  I’m also considering putting a different finish inside the case on the surface beneath the ship.  Maybe railroad train simulated gravel, or maybe something like green felt.
 
Thanks in advance,

Elia

Greetings,
Here are a few ideas I've used for case bases. First is a Lexington model in a glass case with a mirror for the bottom. I think it is sort of "airy" and shows the underside of the model too. The model was fastened to the base by scratching the mirror beneath the area with the wooden "waves" and then using epoxy to fasten them to the mirror. The second is a small scale model of a tahiti ketch model, with maple veneer "planking", minus any trunells, beneath the model.
Anchor's A Weigh!
John Fox III

Like many on the forum, I have been attempting to build ship models since I was a small child.  Way longer than I care to admit to!  The first model that was nice enough to deserve a case was a “Yellow Box” Model Shipways Harriet Lane received as a gift in the mid-1960’s.  The case was a sad affair made from plexi-glass glued to a Walnut base that eventually warped.
 
I eventually developed a system for making wood framed glass cases.  These are neat, and rugged but not artistic works of cabinetry like some posted on the forum.  Some are old enough (35-40 years) that I was unaware of problems from off-gassing and didn’t consciously worry about ventilation.  Some of the older cases feature veneered baseboards glued to a plywood substrate with rubber based contact cement.  Somehow all of this has survived the test of time!  While I am pleased with my models and cases I’m not to worried about longevity once I’m gone.  My daughter has limited space in a New York Apartment and my daughter-in-law is fussy about her decor. 
 
The patined copper was inspired be a similar product sold by a commercial veneer distributor.  I had a sheet of .005in copper surplus from a project, and the chemicals are not exotic.  The effect was far better than I could have simulated with paint.  
 
I bought a plastic tub with a lid.  The towel soaked with Ammonia and vinegar was spread out in the bottom of the tub.  The copper was tacked to a homemade wood frame and suspended over but not in contact with the towel.  Salt was sprinkled into the copper.  The tub was covered with a snap on lid and allowed to sit for 3-4 days.  After it comes out of the tub the copper needs to be throughly rinsed. The copper should be cleaned to remove grease, oil, corrosion before being exposed to the chemicals.  
 
Specialty  gunsmith supply houses; Brownells, Herters, Cavella, etc. can be good sources for case finishing materials.
 
Some of the woods sold as Mahogany are pretty poor stuff and that’s probably what you got.  As mahogany like teak, is associated with classic yachts and fine furniture I suspect that most ship modelers have been faced with trying to finish this faux Mahogany.  You should be able to find Wood Filler at local paint stores. This is NOT the stuff kit builders use to try to fill in planking mistakes.  It comes in quart cans and is something called Fullers Earth mixed with linseed oil.  It can be mixed with your choice of oil based wood stains or you can mix it with oil based artist colors (the kind that come in tubes) to create your own.  Paint it on, let it soak in, and wipe it off.
 
Roger
 

I like that. Have looked at doing that base finish for one of my cases.

This is a water feature I did for the Morgan. This was in the Whaling Museum in Lahaina and got burnt up in the fire. A friend of mine built the model. The case was designed as a display and transport case.

Roger,
 
The case of mine shown is a type of mahogany.  It’s fairly grainy.  I believe it is finished with just a coat or two matt or satin urethane (it’s been 14 years since I made it and I don’t recall).
 
I really like your case’s stain color.
 
I am fascinated by the technique.  The chemicals evaporate, becoming a mixed gas in the closed chamber, and somehow muddle etch the copper sheet?  Were the chemical evenly spread on the cloth or blotted here and there?  The muddled effect, maybe a bad way to describe it, looks great.  Do you recall how long it took?

Thanks,
 
Elia

Roger,
 
Oh that is quite nice!  It works well with the frame wood tone (stain?).
 
Elia

John,
 
That is very attractive and sets the light colored model off well.  My case is pretty large, and I have a concern of a very dark case frame being too much of an eyesore for the size of the room it’s in.  I see this endeavor as trying to make the case not complete with the model (in tones and grain), though also not be too visually grabbing or jarring within the room.
 
A balancing act as it were.

Thanks,
 
Elia

druxey,
 
I’m afraid my rendition of faux marble finishing might be distracting from the model, though not in a good way.  It would most certainly be cheaper than the real stuff!
 
Thank you,
 
Elia

Jaager,
 
Now that could be quite nice.  Have you seen something like that done in a case before?  I imagine it certainly would add some heft to the base of the case.
 
Thank you,
 
Elia

Paul,
 
It is distracting, isn’t it? I like the idea of adding a dark ‘floor’ to the case.  Thst helps visually isolate the model from the case.
 
Thank you,
 
Elia

Gary,
 
Thanks for the quick visuals!  That helps a lot!  The green felt, or at least that example, tells me that that option may be too visually distracting to me.  I like the dark ‘floor’ example you’ve shown.  I also like the gravel example, recognizing that the stuff I’ve seen from model railroading is pretty small compared to the quick overlay you’ve provided.
 
These are quite helpful.  Thank you!
 
Elia

I'd be concerned about off-gassing from the copper compounds produced by that method. Even if sealed, I'd not trust it to be effective. Paints sponged on would be safer both to do and for the model's longevity, plus it would be less expensive.

Gary,
 
Thanks for the quick visuals!  That helps a lot!  The green felt, or at least that example, tells me that that option may be too visually distracting to me.  I like the dark ‘floor’ example you’ve shown.  I also like the gravel example, recognizing that the stuff I’ve seen from model railroading is pretty small compared to the quick overlay you’ve provided.
 
These are quite helpful.  Thank you!
 
Elia

Shipwrights,
 
A brig model I gave as a gift many years ago has returned to me.  From the moment I put the brig into the case I wasn’t happy with the pairing.  I find the wood and details of the model compete, and are somewhat overshadowed, by the vastness of the case’s wood.  I’m looking for your thoughts on changes to the finish of the case.  I’m also considering putting a different finish inside the case on the surface beneath the ship.  Maybe railroad train simulated gravel, or maybe something like green felt.
 
Thanks in advance,

Elia

No, I have not.  I bought a large green and a large blue single tile from Home Depot in the late 90's for the heck of it.  I do not remember to price being all that prohibitive.
It is just another armchair thought experiment.

The case is native American Black Walnut.  Where you live it should be easy to find.  The stain is a “French Red” gunstock stain.
 
If you decide on the patina’ed copper, I saturated a towel with the chemicals and suspended the copper sheet near but not touching the towel; all in a covered plastic tub.
 
Roger