vaddoc

Thanks Keith! After the boat is finished I ll bring the sails down and tie them as if the boat is at anchor. But after photos are taken for the gallery, I ll need to think what to do with the boat. No space to display. Here in Cambridgeshire some shops are open, schools have opened, parks have lots of people and overall I get the impression that if there is still a lockdown, it isn't very strict.

Thanks Gary! One problem is how clean it looks, following your log I ve been tempted to build something weathered and used. Some day... I ve been fairly busy over the last few days. I completed a big task: I made the sails! I do not have the exact dimensions and either way, I made the bowsprit longer as I wanted a more dramatic look so I had to eyeball the shape. The large scale allows proper fabric to be used, I got some cheap curtain liner actually the first day the lockdown was lifted here in England. I used a type of seam glue to glue the edges, folding twice. On the second fold I inserted rope. It took a while and I had a few failures. I also manage to rip the Admirals ironing board cover but got off lightly as it was due to be changed eitherway. I then unfortunately run out of single blocks. This was something I was hoping would not happen, making the blocks is serious work. I took a big breath and sat down and made a few, thankfully I had a few leftover pieces that were just enough. I also run out of sheaves but I think I have enough blocks now. For future builds, no more functional blocks! Then I started rigging the sails. The girls are very active so my presence is needed in the house, only solution to bring the boat in. I used stainless steel wire to make the cleats that bind the sails to the stays. These will be cut and removed when the sails are furled after the boat is completed. Best wishes to all Vaddoc

60 years old in ID, 12 years old in the heart. You ll fit right in, a very warm Welcome Genocon!

Could I ask, why not just leave the deck without any finish on?

Like Bob said, difficult to know straight away which finish works best and will give you the look you want. You do need to test. Even if you know how finishes work, you might need to test for each different wood you use. Indeed, it can get expensive and you might never use some things you buy. We ve all been there! This is why modellers need a lot of storage space. If you plan to use any other finish, you will need to sand off the varnish from your deck

Best to try finishes and paints on scrap wood, not the model! You may have trouble gluing anything to varnished surface. I personally would probably sand the wood to 400 grit and leave it.

Welcome Gaffrig!

How about using very thin copper wire, wearing gloves pass it over 600 or 1200 grit sand paper, then use liver of sulfur to blacken it. No issues with scale and being very thin you can pull it pretty straight. Use CA to secure it maybe

Matt varnishes can be very temperamental. If the medium is not very well stirred, you could end up with "brush marks", which is essentially caused by uneven distribution of the media. The varnish itself can also cause brush marks. It can be done but not the simplest of tasks. Also on vertical surfaces it might create "runs". It depends what you like, you could try Tung oil, wipe on poly, Shellac, a sanding sealer or just leave it as is. I wonder if just finishing the deck will make all other wooden pieces look very raw and these gratings and gunwales will be difficult to finish

What finish to use is a very common problem. Lots of answers exist and there isn't really right or wrong, it is what works for each one. Of course, you should always test the finish you consider on scrap wood, not the model. When I started modelling, I tried lots of options and easily found what I like. It has also to do with the scale, what you can do in 1:10 may not be achievable at 1:64 scale. To answer your question: Danish oil is essentially a mixture of oils (Tung oil usually) and varnishes. Each company seems to have each own recipe. Danish oil may be good to use on your garden deck or chairs, however I never liked trade products for use on models. So Danish oil already has varnish in. Generally though, you should not varnish over oil-oil is enough. Also you should be aware that not all finishes go on top of each other-generally oiled wood will not accept much. For finishing wood, you have several options. Oils get absorbed into the wood which retains its "wooden" feel. Varnishes sit on the top and create a hard layer. Shellac is time honoured, easy to repair, thins with methylated spirits-never liked it myself but others use it a lot. Tung oil is a different thing, it penetrates the wood and then polymerises and hardens. I use it a lot, it brings out the beauty of the wood but seems to work better on darker woods. I do not like the effect on pale woods. I use a water based sanding sealer a lot to seal wood-i find it much superior to Shellac. Ultimately, it might be best to get a few finishes and try them on using pieces of cheap plywood to see how they work and what you like. How about posting a photo of your deck?

Indeed, it is a constant battle to prevent the admiral filling up the garage with stuff. One needs to be determined, cunning, adaptable and plenty of other words but it can be done. No insulation for me Bob, the admiral knows it and that prevents her sending stuff my way...

I would suggest a second work bench. The one you have is for your boat, you may need space for soldering, for a scroll saw, a drill press, a disc sander, space for drawing...heavy solid benches work better for me. I use a couple of bar stools. You will also need a lot more light. It needs to be coming from all directions to eliminate shadows. Because of the detailed work we do, we need unusually strong light. Think of the number of lumens you feel is enough, then double it and then double it again and this will be your starting point. Your wooden walls will not reflect a lot of light.

What about the Proxon? It is even more expensive but I think it uses blades instead of sand paper

Lovely model indeed, you ve done a great job. Make sure before you put anything on that you wont get a patchy appearance if the coating does not get uniformly everywhere, your deck is pretty busy. Maybe just leave the wood as is?

Welcome Steven! Do start a log and indeed, show us some of your previous work. Vaddoc

Not big at all, anything smaller than 1:10 is just fine!😁

You need to use special masking tapes, the paint will bleed under any other. I use Tamiya which comes in different widths and can be stretched to accommodate the curvature of the hull or frog tape. The tape needs also to be low tack so that it does not lift the paint underneath. Do not use electricians or ordinary masking tape. Frog tape is fine Make sure the tape is well tucked in at the bow and stern. If it seems that there might be a gap or it has not stuck well, start over. The paint will find its way through otherwise. Make sure the hull is smooth, any imperfection will show. Resist putting thick coats of paint. I generally mark and paint first the waterline, then mask and paint each half in turns. I would not paint the whole hull black, not needed.

Just finished going through your log Bob, this is a very nice boat and those guys in the video were handling her very handsomely in that tight space! It has a pretty complex and fun rigging with a flying topsail and Highfield levers etc. Your photos gave me a few ideas for the rigging of the Deben which is similar. You re off to a good start, looking forward for the rest of the journey

Looking at this from another point of view, I build boats for the journey it self, the fun and the challenge involved. Of course I have learned a lot and learn more as I progress. The final outcome, the boat it self, although I try to make it as good as i can, is not as important. This is why I scratch build. So best to choose a boat that will be fun to build and tick the right boxes rather than the one that fits the mantel piece. Even building a kit, there will be an awful lot to learn and to overcome. As to which kit you should go for, lots of good advice available by others

Much appreciated Kurt.

Kurt, you ve mentioned stay-brite before. I looked into it at the time but did not really understand how it works. Could you explain a bit more? More specifically: I presume it just needs a soldering station and not a torch? Does it need flux? Does it have gap filling capabilities or does it need to be tight fit like silver solder? Finally, what are the advantages over silver solder paste/torch? Many thanks

Well Mark, I am following what the books say. I did quite a lot of search on the topsail previously, usually topsails are attached to the top mast with hoops or to a pole. The problem is that someone needs to go up the mast to set it up or send the pole up which is fiddly. The Deben has a flying top sail which is easier to set up but needs lots of tension as there are no real attachment points to the mast. Instead it uses a leader, which is simply a line from the top mast to the deck and the top sail clips on it on 2-3 points. This leader needs to be seriously tight hence the need for blocks. The books mention an elegant solution which is to tie the bottom end of the leader to the topsail downhaul so that one pulls the other and all get very tight. This is what I followed. As for the jibs, the top jib will just need straight lines, the flying jib one block (for each sheet) but the staysail will need some serious power so couple of blocks each side. I am struggling a bit to find space aft though, the main sail sheet and the backstays also need to be added as well as the rails. The Deben is a small boat, just five tons but this is actually the rigging plan!

I did tried Shellac Bob, never really liked it! Also I dislike the smell of methylated spirits. You can get "boiled" Tung oil which polymerises much faster but I have had no problems with the normal one. Smells fantastic too! I think the main advice should be to test on scrap wood, not on the model! A few months ago I was too impatient to test thinning my polyurethane varnish and applied directly to my rudder, painted 3 colours each with a dozen coats. When the varnish congealed I had to sand it and start again!

There are many options to seal and finish wood and everyone does things differently, what works for one does not work for another. But technology has moved on and a lot of modern products are excellent. I almost exclusively use water based sealers and paints, they dry and are ready to sand in 20 min and are not toxic. Very easy to use and a very long shelf life. A quick touch with the sanding paper makes the surface smooth, even reflecting light if needed. I ve been so happy with the results that really did not look further. For darker woods I like Tung oil very much. Try a few things and see what you like.

My 2 c Justin Making blocks is very time consuming. It can be done with a good result but needs to be approached as a separate stand alone project. A lot of time needs to be invested initially to standardise a method of making the blocks using whatever tools one has. Then the stropping will take a while, they are fiddly little buggers. Getting Chuck's blocks is a good option but you ll certainly be able to make acceptable blocks yourself. It will take lots of headscratching and time though. I think I made about 70 for my current boat and that was a gigantic work but I am in no hurry-I kind of overengineered it though. This can be a tedious task and if you d rather build your boat, get Chuck's blocks.