Bob Cleek

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

I hope it's okay to re-post something from eBay here. I don't know the seller, but I figured the deal was something some MSW forum member would love to hear about.
 
Someone is selling a complete ship modeling shop setup, plus a MS Syren kit and a wooden airplane kit, all for $1,000.00 "buy it now" or "make an offer." (No bidders to contend with. Just "first come, first served.") This seller must have bought just about everything Micro-Mark offers for ship modeling. (Not all of which I'd buy, but his choices certainly include all of the Micro-Mark stuff worth having.) He's got a Dremel "system" with drill press, router, flex shaft, etc. He's got all the hand tools anybody would want. Tons of material and supplies and parts and a nice wooden machinist's tool chest. Everything there for scratch  building, too. Plus a bunch of books and magazines. What's odd about it is that all of the stuff looks absolutely clean and brand new, almost like he (she?) bought stuff but never used it. (To some extent, I've been there, done that, and got the tee shirt myself! Haven't we all? ) He mentions that he's selling it all, lock, stock, and barrel, because health reasons preclude his using it. He says it would cost about $3,000.00 to buy, but I'm guessing it would be way more than that.
 
There is a catch, of course. Because of the amount and weight of it all, the cost of shipping would be prohibitive, so you have to pick it up yourself or arrange to have somebody get it for you. He lives in Utah. 
 
If you are anywhere in Utah, or know somebody who is, definitely check it out.
 
Even if you aren't in Utah, it's worth drooling over and enjoying the bittersweet feeling of "the one that got away."
 
Here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234092055148?hash=item3680f94a6c:g:-HMAAOSwGqZg8crL

Yes, well... that's USS Constitution's coppered bottom after her latest restoration, I believe. As discussed here in another post which included pictures of that copper being applied, it was noted that "the hull plates do not look smooth even when viewing from a distance" because the workmen who applied them did a poor job of it. Critically, they used carpenter's hammers to drive the copper tacks instead of a proper coppering hammer with a wide slightly convex face which drives the tack nearly flush with the plate without unduly denting or distorting the plate. The object of it all is to make the bottom as smooth as possible. The more texture to the bottom, the more resistance to the water and the slower the boat sails.
 
Ham-fisted workmen making a mess of USS Constitution's copper plating using flat faced sharp edged carpenter's claw hammers:
 

 
Cutty Sark's newly replaced bottom sheathed with Muntz metal (a type of patent brass) showing the use of proper hammers by skilled workers:
 

 

 
Close up of Cutty Sark's Muntz metal sheathing:
 

 
Coppering hammer:
 

 
 
See:         C. DREW Coppering Hammer (numismalink.com)              
 

I hope it's okay to re-post something from eBay here. I don't know the seller, but I figured the deal was something some MSW forum member would love to hear about.
 
Someone is selling a complete ship modeling shop setup, plus a MS Syren kit and a wooden airplane kit, all for $1,000.00 "buy it now" or "make an offer." (No bidders to contend with. Just "first come, first served.") This seller must have bought just about everything Micro-Mark offers for ship modeling. (Not all of which I'd buy, but his choices certainly include all of the Micro-Mark stuff worth having.) He's got a Dremel "system" with drill press, router, flex shaft, etc. He's got all the hand tools anybody would want. Tons of material and supplies and parts and a nice wooden machinist's tool chest. Everything there for scratch  building, too. Plus a bunch of books and magazines. What's odd about it is that all of the stuff looks absolutely clean and brand new, almost like he (she?) bought stuff but never used it. (To some extent, I've been there, done that, and got the tee shirt myself! Haven't we all? ) He mentions that he's selling it all, lock, stock, and barrel, because health reasons preclude his using it. He says it would cost about $3,000.00 to buy, but I'm guessing it would be way more than that.
 
There is a catch, of course. Because of the amount and weight of it all, the cost of shipping would be prohibitive, so you have to pick it up yourself or arrange to have somebody get it for you. He lives in Utah. 
 
If you are anywhere in Utah, or know somebody who is, definitely check it out.
 
Even if you aren't in Utah, it's worth drooling over and enjoying the bittersweet feeling of "the one that got away."
 
Here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234092055148?hash=item3680f94a6c:g:-HMAAOSwGqZg8crL

I hope it's okay to re-post something from eBay here. I don't know the seller, but I figured the deal was something some MSW forum member would love to hear about.
 
Someone is selling a complete ship modeling shop setup, plus a MS Syren kit and a wooden airplane kit, all for $1,000.00 "buy it now" or "make an offer." (No bidders to contend with. Just "first come, first served.") This seller must have bought just about everything Micro-Mark offers for ship modeling. (Not all of which I'd buy, but his choices certainly include all of the Micro-Mark stuff worth having.) He's got a Dremel "system" with drill press, router, flex shaft, etc. He's got all the hand tools anybody would want. Tons of material and supplies and parts and a nice wooden machinist's tool chest. Everything there for scratch  building, too. Plus a bunch of books and magazines. What's odd about it is that all of the stuff looks absolutely clean and brand new, almost like he (she?) bought stuff but never used it. (To some extent, I've been there, done that, and got the tee shirt myself! Haven't we all? ) He mentions that he's selling it all, lock, stock, and barrel, because health reasons preclude his using it. He says it would cost about $3,000.00 to buy, but I'm guessing it would be way more than that.
 
There is a catch, of course. Because of the amount and weight of it all, the cost of shipping would be prohibitive, so you have to pick it up yourself or arrange to have somebody get it for you. He lives in Utah. 
 
If you are anywhere in Utah, or know somebody who is, definitely check it out.
 
Even if you aren't in Utah, it's worth drooling over and enjoying the bittersweet feeling of "the one that got away."
 
Here's the link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/234092055148?hash=item3680f94a6c:g:-HMAAOSwGqZg8crL

It's the water that raises the grain. No water, no raised grain. 
 
Bend your wood using dry heat. A bending iron is good if you have one. If not, a small clothes iron works well. A piece of metal pipe of suitable diameter can be heated from the inside with a torch and used by bending the wood against it. Some have even found good success by using a microwave oven to heat the wood. Use the forum search engine to see various dry heat methods. Review Chuck Passaro's great video turtorials on plank bending in the resources section under the "More" drop down menu at the top of the forum page.
 
Water based paints run the risk of raising wood grain if they are too thin because of their water content. If using water-based paints, prime the wood with thinned shellac as mentioned above. Shellac will not raise the grain. it is thinned with alcohol. Oil-based paints will not raise wood grain. This is a significant advantage of oil-based paints, although it is a simple matter to prime wood for water-based painting using shellac which dries very quickly.

Tasty! I've never seen Dietzgen spline weights before but I knew they once made them. Usually, what you see on eBay are the similar Keuffel and Esser models. The few I have are a real collection of odd ball homemade "beaters." I keep meaning to cast myself up a nice matching one of these days. Yours are very reasonably priced for "store bought" ducks. I don't know of anybody who's making them anymore except Edson.  I'd love to come across a bunch of the fancy bronze ones Edson makes at a bargain price, but $61.00 a piece is too rich for my taste retail. These are really something any serious scratch-builder ought to own.
 

 
See: Edson Boat Accessories: Spline Weights (edsonmarine.com)

Recommending brands is always tricky as their availability depends on the continent you are on. Nevertheless, I have been using DaVinci synthetic brushes for decades. As noted by a colleague, they come in many diffrent shapes and sizes, intended for different sorts of jobs.
 
These diffrent shapes are mainly designed for use on flat surfaces. I personally found that on models with their three-dimensional surfaces the standard brushes with long hairs often do not work so well, but there are also types with shorter, stiffer hairs, e.g. so-called spotters, that work better.
 
There are also speciality brushes, such as lining-brushes with very long hairs, that are traditionally used by sign- or coach-painters to paint long, narrow lines. In more recent years they also seem to be used by so-called nail 'artists'. They are difficult to use on small, three-dimensional surfaces, unless you have a lot of practice (which I don't).
 
Having said that, I prefer to spray-paint using an air-brush whenever possible and when a uniform coat of paint is required. 

Vintage Lot of 4 Dietzgen #2192 Spline Weights. 3-1/2 pound lead spline weights for drafting. Especially useful for ship hull lines, model railroad curves, etc. Painted black with green felt bottoms. I purchased these used approximately 40 years ago. Lightly used and in good condition for their age. Selling as a set. $130 for the lot, including priority mail shipment within the lower 48. 
 
Payment via PayPal friends and family.

Minwax does use the term "stain" loosely in their advertising text, but if you read the label carefully, you will note that Minwax doesn't call their above product a "stain." They call it a "Wood Finish." That is, "something other than a stain." They claim it "Penetrates, Stains, and Seals," but they don't claim it is a "stain."
 
Minwax does sell stains per se and calls them that:
 
 
 

It's the water that raises the grain. No water, no raised grain. 
 
Bend your wood using dry heat. A bending iron is good if you have one. If not, a small clothes iron works well. A piece of metal pipe of suitable diameter can be heated from the inside with a torch and used by bending the wood against it. Some have even found good success by using a microwave oven to heat the wood. Use the forum search engine to see various dry heat methods. Review Chuck Passaro's great video turtorials on plank bending in the resources section under the "More" drop down menu at the top of the forum page.
 
Water based paints run the risk of raising wood grain if they are too thin because of their water content. If using water-based paints, prime the wood with thinned shellac as mentioned above. Shellac will not raise the grain. it is thinned with alcohol. Oil-based paints will not raise wood grain. This is a significant advantage of oil-based paints, although it is a simple matter to prime wood for water-based painting using shellac which dries very quickly.

Yes, well... that's USS Constitution's coppered bottom after her latest restoration, I believe. As discussed here in another post which included pictures of that copper being applied, it was noted that "the hull plates do not look smooth even when viewing from a distance" because the workmen who applied them did a poor job of it. Critically, they used carpenter's hammers to drive the copper tacks instead of a proper coppering hammer with a wide slightly convex face which drives the tack nearly flush with the plate without unduly denting or distorting the plate. The object of it all is to make the bottom as smooth as possible. The more texture to the bottom, the more resistance to the water and the slower the boat sails.
 
Ham-fisted workmen making a mess of USS Constitution's copper plating using flat faced sharp edged carpenter's claw hammers:
 

 
Cutty Sark's newly replaced bottom sheathed with Muntz metal (a type of patent brass) showing the use of proper hammers by skilled workers:
 

 

 
Close up of Cutty Sark's Muntz metal sheathing:
 

 
Coppering hammer:
 

 
 
See:         C. DREW Coppering Hammer (numismalink.com)              
 

Yes, well... that's USS Constitution's coppered bottom after her latest restoration, I believe. As discussed here in another post which included pictures of that copper being applied, it was noted that "the hull plates do not look smooth even when viewing from a distance" because the workmen who applied them did a poor job of it. Critically, they used carpenter's hammers to drive the copper tacks instead of a proper coppering hammer with a wide slightly convex face which drives the tack nearly flush with the plate without unduly denting or distorting the plate. The object of it all is to make the bottom as smooth as possible. The more texture to the bottom, the more resistance to the water and the slower the boat sails.
 
Ham-fisted workmen making a mess of USS Constitution's copper plating using flat faced sharp edged carpenter's claw hammers:
 

 
Cutty Sark's newly replaced bottom sheathed with Muntz metal (a type of patent brass) showing the use of proper hammers by skilled workers:
 

 

 
Close up of Cutty Sark's Muntz metal sheathing:
 

 
Coppering hammer:
 

 
 
See:         C. DREW Coppering Hammer (numismalink.com)              
 

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

50 years ago, the old wood boats I ran still had copper bottoms.  I agree with Druxey's comments completely.  The copper on them never turned green when in use and in the water, except maybe above the water line.  The salt water cleans the copper fairly bright on an active boat.  The bottoms didn't turn green until they were on land.  They were 50-60 ft. Oyster Boats and Patrol Boats.  I know some do not believe me, but this is how I remember it. - Hal

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

I normally seal the wood with a dilute oi based varnish or shellac then sand smooth. It prevents raised grain especially if you are finishing using water based paint or water based clear finish.

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

I hope everybody is sitting down, because this is going to cause a lot of people to gasp in horror...
 
If it's an accurate depiction one desires in the scales we usually build models, using real copper to "copper" bottoms really isn't the way to go. It is difficult to work with and nearly always produces a poor result. Model kit manufacturers include copper tape and foil in their kits because it's just one more inexpensive way to make consumers think their kits are "high quality." 
 
As many have noted, prototype coppered bottoms look nothing like what the majority of coppered bottom models look like. To achieve an accurate scale depiction of a coppered bottom, one must consider the principle of "scale viewing distance."  Scale viewing distance is the distance between a model viewer's eye and the model multiplied to full scale. In a 1:48 (quarter inch to the foot) scale model, one foot of scale viewing distance is what the viewer would see from 48 feet away from the real ship. At two feet of scale viewing distance, which I'd say was a "close look," the scale viewing distance of a 1:48 scale model is 96 feet, or a third of the length of a football field or about the length of two big semi trailers. For a 1:96 scale model (1/8" to the foot) a two-foot actual viewing distance equals a scale viewing distance of 102 feet. Can your eyes see a half inch copper tack head against a copper plate at a hundred feet? Of course not.
 
One way to accurately depict copper plating at model scales is to use paper "plates" which are of scale thickness. This is quite thin paper. (You can do the math.) Glue the plates onto the hull. Soaking the paper plates in water will allow them to be contoured to bends and curves as needed. When the glue dries, apply a coat of thinned shellac which will soak in to the paper, harden and stabilize it, and serve as a primer for painting. Then paint and weather the "copper" plates to appear, at scale viewing distance, like the real thing. Apply quality paint sparingly so as to preserve the barely visible plate edges. (If for some stylistic reason you wish to depict your coppered hull as bright and shiny, use quality copper-colored metallic paint.)
 
When plating a model hull, "Less is more." is the key.
 
I know that this method will not yield a "real copper" coppered bottom, but it will look a lot more like the real thing than real copper itself and creating that compelling impression of realism in miniature is what it's all about, no? 

I don’t know what scale your model is being built to but keep this in mind.  Copper sheathing was nailed not bolted, to the hull with flat head tacks.  The flat head was necessary to spread out the load from the tack against the thin copper sheathing.  The tack head had a diameter of about 1/2in.
 
Now assume that your model is being built to a scale of 1:64.  Someone viewing your model from a distance of 1ft would be equivalent to someone viewing the real thing at a distance of 64 feet.
 
At 64 feet would you see the head of a 1/2in diameter flat head tack?
 
Roger

My guess is a german produced decorator model from the first quuarter of the century. Somewhere around 1925.
going by the sails and the ‘dragon’ I guess it was sold under the name ‘Santa Maria’
 
Jan

Wow! That's what I call a sale. There are some real bargains there.

Remember, best results are realized when you only use synthetic bristle brushes for water-based paint (acrylics) and natural bristle brushes for oil-based paints (enamels.)
 
For very fine detail, check out the offerings on eBay for "nail brushes" (sometimes called "dot brushes,") used by manicurists for painting fingernails. They come in a variety of small sizes and are dirt cheap. Buying fine artists' brushes in small sizes can get expensive fast. 
 
Beyond that, the size and type of brushes to buy depends on the size and type of painting you are going to do. Find a local art supply store and buy brushes as you need them. You'll soon build up a good selection. Clean and store your brushes properly and they will last a very long time.