Bob Cleek

Yes, there's a bit of a learning curve to color matching. Keeping a record of the proportions of color (measured by the length of paint paste extruded from the tube) and color "chips" for matching, plus slowly "creeping up" on the color as the perfect match mixture is approached are helpful. Using hypodermic syringes to measure paint amounts is also helpful. Or you can simply mix more than you expect you'll need and save the excess in a container for later use. Alternately, there are so many premixed oil paint colors offered already that it's hard to believe the exact color someone wanted couldn't be had "right out of the tube." That said, it's always better to have paint left over than to run short before the job is done! 
 
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of water-based acrylics. It seems to me that these disadvantages are more pronounced in the cheaper product ranges and probably is a consequence of lower quality pigments, the most cost-determinative ingredient in paint. I've have become more circumspect in expressing my low opinion of acrylics in comparison to oil-based enamels, not out of any concern for other people's feelings, but because I just can't be bothered responding to their whining. There was a time when I'd actually enjoy arguing with people online about such subjects in pursuit of a "right answer," but it seems cyberspace is polluted with people who are only pretending to seek information, and instead are only just fishing for compliments and affirmation. and who, when they encounter the slightest resistance to their positions, get all bent out of shape. Frankly, I can't see any practical reason whatsoever to prefer acrylic paint over solvent-based oil paint and in our modern "Special Olympics" world where everybody gets a participation trophy, nobody's forcing me to compete. 
 
 

I doubt anybody who is mixing their own colors and conditioning their own paint are buying "big jugs of craft paint" because large quantities aren't required and acrylic "craft paint" isn't the quality that most would want in terms of pigment size and amount. What most are using, be it acrylic or oil-based are the tubed artists' colors that contain paint that's the consistency of toothpaste. These colors can be bought in tubes of various sizes, so you can buy a larger tube of white and black and smaller tubes of any other color you want. In general, ship modeling doesn't demand a large palette of colors at all. The tubed artists' paints have a very long shelf life if the caps are cleaned and tightly closed. Artist's oil paints don't have any driers added in the tube and the user applies drier to their own taste. Before the Japan drier is added, it takes practically forever to dry (polymerize, actually.) Because of the smaller quantities of artists' oils required, (the thick tubed paint is thinned greatly for use, so you aren't paying "paint" prices for a lot of thinner) it doesn't hurt to spend a bit more for the high-quality tubed colors which have finely ground pigment and lots of it.

My initial impression is that if these "self-contained" airbrushes which have recently hit the market are really the best thing since sliced bread, the big-name airbrush companies would be making and selling them, too. The jury's still out and I have no first-hand experience with them, but for the low prices of a lot of them, compared to the cost of a decent airbrush alone, I greatly suspect that the airbrush part of them isn't close to the traditional airbrushes in terms of quality and reliability. 
 
I agree that if one is "just painting models" and not interested in airbrushing fine lines and "special effects" such as weathering and camouflage patterns, a less expensive "plain vanilla" high quality single-action airbrush would be the way to go, They aren't all that expensive. That said, for a few dollars more, why not go for a double-action model because you never know when you might need one. 

Ditto to the best wishes with the docs! 

Sealing bare wood before painting is decidedly a good idea, particularly considering the open-grained species provided by many kit manufacturers. For a number of very good reasons, my own preference for sealing is clear ("white") shellac which can be purchased pre-mixed at most any paint or hardware store. (Zinsser 1-qt. Clear Shellac Traditional Finish and Sealer (Case of 4) 00304H - The Home Depot) Shellac is compatible with all common coatings, whether oil or water based. There is no need to apply anything over shellac before painting nor anything over the paint after painting. The less applied to the model, the better, so as to avoid the loss of crisp detail from thick coating applications.

Let me say at the outset that Kurt Van Dahm (kurtvd19 - Model Ship World™) is the expert on all things airbrush around here. You should shoot him a message and I'm sure he will be happy to give you the best answer you will get from anybody. He is also some sort of a rep for Badger Airbrush Co., I believe. Anyway, he can recommend the best airbrush and compressor to acquire in your price range and probably know where to get the best deal on it.
 
As for your question about thinning acrylic paint for airbrushing, the answer is yes, it is entirely possible to thin regular acrylic paint to the consistency required for airbrushing. (In fact, most airbrushers condition all their paint for airbrushing regardless of what some manufacturer says on their tiny overpriced bottles. Pre-thinned paint "for airbrushing" is just paying good money for more cheap thinner and less expensive pigment!) That said, you should be very careful to use the particular paint's manufacturer's recommended thinner. Some acrylics are thinned with water and some with alcohol and some with a proprietary thinner which is probably alcohol and Windex or something, but who knows for sure.  YouTube is full of videos teaching how to make your own acrylic paint thinners to save money.  Such homebrews should always be tested before use on a finished piece, of course.
 
Many hobby paint manufacturers sell clear flat coatings for spraying over finishes that are too glossy. Flattening solutions can also be added to the paint and many manufacturers sell their paint not only in many colors, but also in a variety of finishes between flat and high gloss. I only use flat finishes on ship models. Gloss finishes are for automobile models, I expect. 
 
While I have had good results with alcohol-thinned acrylic paints, water-thinned acrylic paints have proven something of a challenge. Airbrushing is designed to spray atomized paint on a surface where it dries very quickly. Unlike alcohol, water doesn't dry quickly at all and it's easy to spray "wet on wet" and make a mess of it. For this reason, I am not a fan of water-thinned acrylic paint, or any other acrylic paint (for a variety of reasons,) but that is just my own personal preference. I have gone increasingly to using tubed artists' oil paints, which can be thinned with any number of solvents with different drying characteristics and can be conditioned with retarding or accelerating agents and flattening additives to achieve a wide range of effects. In the long run, quality artists' oil paint is far less expensive than small bottles of paint sold by the hobby companies, of better quality in many cases, and much easier to mix your own colors from a small pallete of basic colors. Other folks' mileage may differ, I'm sure.

Yes, there's a bit of a learning curve to color matching. Keeping a record of the proportions of color (measured by the length of paint paste extruded from the tube) and color "chips" for matching, plus slowly "creeping up" on the color as the perfect match mixture is approached are helpful. Using hypodermic syringes to measure paint amounts is also helpful. Or you can simply mix more than you expect you'll need and save the excess in a container for later use. Alternately, there are so many premixed oil paint colors offered already that it's hard to believe the exact color someone wanted couldn't be had "right out of the tube." That said, it's always better to have paint left over than to run short before the job is done! 
 
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of water-based acrylics. It seems to me that these disadvantages are more pronounced in the cheaper product ranges and probably is a consequence of lower quality pigments, the most cost-determinative ingredient in paint. I've have become more circumspect in expressing my low opinion of acrylics in comparison to oil-based enamels, not out of any concern for other people's feelings, but because I just can't be bothered responding to their whining. There was a time when I'd actually enjoy arguing with people online about such subjects in pursuit of a "right answer," but it seems cyberspace is polluted with people who are only pretending to seek information, and instead are only just fishing for compliments and affirmation. and who, when they encounter the slightest resistance to their positions, get all bent out of shape. Frankly, I can't see any practical reason whatsoever to prefer acrylic paint over solvent-based oil paint and in our modern "Special Olympics" world where everybody gets a participation trophy, nobody's forcing me to compete. 
 
 

I doubt anybody who is mixing their own colors and conditioning their own paint are buying "big jugs of craft paint" because large quantities aren't required and acrylic "craft paint" isn't the quality that most would want in terms of pigment size and amount. What most are using, be it acrylic or oil-based are the tubed artists' colors that contain paint that's the consistency of toothpaste. These colors can be bought in tubes of various sizes, so you can buy a larger tube of white and black and smaller tubes of any other color you want. In general, ship modeling doesn't demand a large palette of colors at all. The tubed artists' paints have a very long shelf life if the caps are cleaned and tightly closed. Artist's oil paints don't have any driers added in the tube and the user applies drier to their own taste. Before the Japan drier is added, it takes practically forever to dry (polymerize, actually.) Because of the smaller quantities of artists' oils required, (the thick tubed paint is thinned greatly for use, so you aren't paying "paint" prices for a lot of thinner) it doesn't hurt to spend a bit more for the high-quality tubed colors which have finely ground pigment and lots of it.

My initial impression is that if these "self-contained" airbrushes which have recently hit the market are really the best thing since sliced bread, the big-name airbrush companies would be making and selling them, too. The jury's still out and I have no first-hand experience with them, but for the low prices of a lot of them, compared to the cost of a decent airbrush alone, I greatly suspect that the airbrush part of them isn't close to the traditional airbrushes in terms of quality and reliability. 
 
I agree that if one is "just painting models" and not interested in airbrushing fine lines and "special effects" such as weathering and camouflage patterns, a less expensive "plain vanilla" high quality single-action airbrush would be the way to go, They aren't all that expensive. That said, for a few dollars more, why not go for a double-action model because you never know when you might need one. 

Yes, there's a bit of a learning curve to color matching. Keeping a record of the proportions of color (measured by the length of paint paste extruded from the tube) and color "chips" for matching, plus slowly "creeping up" on the color as the perfect match mixture is approached are helpful. Using hypodermic syringes to measure paint amounts is also helpful. Or you can simply mix more than you expect you'll need and save the excess in a container for later use. Alternately, there are so many premixed oil paint colors offered already that it's hard to believe the exact color someone wanted couldn't be had "right out of the tube." That said, it's always better to have paint left over than to run short before the job is done! 
 
I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of water-based acrylics. It seems to me that these disadvantages are more pronounced in the cheaper product ranges and probably is a consequence of lower quality pigments, the most cost-determinative ingredient in paint. I've have become more circumspect in expressing my low opinion of acrylics in comparison to oil-based enamels, not out of any concern for other people's feelings, but because I just can't be bothered responding to their whining. There was a time when I'd actually enjoy arguing with people online about such subjects in pursuit of a "right answer," but it seems cyberspace is polluted with people who are only pretending to seek information, and instead are only just fishing for compliments and affirmation. and who, when they encounter the slightest resistance to their positions, get all bent out of shape. Frankly, I can't see any practical reason whatsoever to prefer acrylic paint over solvent-based oil paint and in our modern "Special Olympics" world where everybody gets a participation trophy, nobody's forcing me to compete. 
 
 

I personally see no reason to obsess about exact color matches for paint as in the real world, paint colors are affected by many variables.  This is particularly true when paints were mixed on the job.  Also, different colors reflect light and weather differently, and then there’s the scale effect.
 
For the last model that I completed I mixed my own colors.  Four  were required: Dark Brown topsides, Drab inboard, Red Oxide trim, And White below the waterline.  While I had some General formulae, my mark 1 eyeball was the final judge.
 
Roger

My initial impression is that if these "self-contained" airbrushes which have recently hit the market are really the best thing since sliced bread, the big-name airbrush companies would be making and selling them, too. The jury's still out and I have no first-hand experience with them, but for the low prices of a lot of them, compared to the cost of a decent airbrush alone, I greatly suspect that the airbrush part of them isn't close to the traditional airbrushes in terms of quality and reliability. 
 
I agree that if one is "just painting models" and not interested in airbrushing fine lines and "special effects" such as weathering and camouflage patterns, a less expensive "plain vanilla" high quality single-action airbrush would be the way to go, They aren't all that expensive. That said, for a few dollars more, why not go for a double-action model because you never know when you might need one. 

My initial impression is that if these "self-contained" airbrushes which have recently hit the market are really the best thing since sliced bread, the big-name airbrush companies would be making and selling them, too. The jury's still out and I have no first-hand experience with them, but for the low prices of a lot of them, compared to the cost of a decent airbrush alone, I greatly suspect that the airbrush part of them isn't close to the traditional airbrushes in terms of quality and reliability. 
 
I agree that if one is "just painting models" and not interested in airbrushing fine lines and "special effects" such as weathering and camouflage patterns, a less expensive "plain vanilla" high quality single-action airbrush would be the way to go, They aren't all that expensive. That said, for a few dollars more, why not go for a double-action model because you never know when you might need one. 

Skid beams. There were fore and aft holes through the 'U' portion of the iron supports with a retaining pin on each end of the beam.

To seal the wood I use Decoart sealer which is inexpensive, easily available and water based.
Like everyone I miss the Floquil paints, then Model Master went by the wayside also. I do still have a few Floquil including their gold paint.
Humbrol (acrylic and enamel) are great paint, also been using Tamiya. For wood models and figurines I use Liquitex in tubes, Liquitex has their 
own airbrush thinner, I did purchase a small book that teach you how to mix the different colors that achieve what you want. Being made for hand brushing you can retouch very easily. When I mix with the airbrush thinner I try to achieve a consistency of milk (not the 2%).
The Liquitex airbrush thinner does contain a thinning agent and a retarder, you could make it yourself but the Liquitex is inexpensive and goes a long way. For cleaning water does the job.

Bob,  No sarcasm intended.  If I were to build another wooden model, I would repeat the acrylic paint experiment again.  It worked well and seems to be holding up fine in the model’s glass cased environment.
 
My present project will have virtually no exposed wooden surfaces.  The hull shell plating is shellacked paper and the rest of the model brass.  It is also small scale, 1:96 as opposed to 1:32 for my last project, and paint film thickness matters..  I like Floquil paint.  It lays down a nice thin film.  I have some unopened bottles bought years ago and have found the rest on EBay.
 
Roger

Bob, Floquil did have a marine line of paints, but they disappeared eons ago, maybe when I/R took over. They also had a line of stains, too. Anyway, Testors bought them out and Floquil was dropped. Nobody builds models any more they said. Marketeers at their finest.
 
Happily Badger has a useful acrylic line and Tru-Color (lacquer based) is making some ship colors, the usual WW II stuff. The Japanese have some good acrylic and lacquer paints. It pays to experiment with them. I would say if you're thinning/conditioning a paint, use the thinner from that company. Going off brand could turn your beautifully blended paint mix into a glob of ,,,

One word of caution about using flat/satin paints. If you plan on adding decals to the model you should use glossy paints. Decals will have a foggy appearance on the "transparent" parts if added over flat/sating paints. The background will be invisible on glossy paints. After adding the decals spray a flat or satin overcoat to seal the decals and get the dull finish.

Have you tried binder clips? Handy and cheap. Lots of different sizes available.
 

Hudson River Sloop 
 
I am working on plans for a model of the HRS Amelia.... I have several projects going at the moment.  Models from the Mystic Museum of various HR sloops for research and design purposes.  The last photo is Portias Victorine.  
 

 

I'm not aware of any negative effects of adding thinners or conditioners to paint which is thereafter stored long term. That said, "long term" is a relative concept. Anything less than an air-tight seal and the absence of any oxygen in the paint container (e.g., a partially-filled can) will permit polymerization to occur, causing skimming and eventually the hardening of the paint. (An oil paint can may be purged of oxygen by slowly filling it with propane from an unlit plumber's torch until the heavier propane displaces the oxygen, after which the can is securely sealed.) The more air, the faster this will occur. Additionally, long term storage will permit the pigment to settle in the bottom of the container and it may eventually become so compacted that it will be near impossible to stir and redistribute evenly in the liquid medium without mulling it again. 
 
It's my guess that as much as ninety percent of the small bottles of model paint, fingernail polish, and touch-up appliance and auto paint, and the like end up hard as a rock by the second time a consumer attempts to open the bottle and ends up tossed into the trash. Buying pre-mixed paint in tiny amounts is the most expensive way paint can be purchased and buying "ready to use pre-thinned "airbrush paint" is the most expensive way to buy paint thinner! This is one reason why some modelers have switched over to mixing their own paint using tubed artists oils and acrylics which have long shelf-lives and tend not to harden in the tube because there's no room for exposure to air nor any dryers added to the tubed paste. (The end user thins and conditions tubed paints themselves.)

Sorry, but I can't give you any thing definite about what the Admiralty did with their limber chains in the Age of Sail, or if they even had them. It would seem, of course, that they would have because the chains are essential to keeping the limber holes open, particularly in a vessel where the bilge isn't easily accessible and the larger the vessel, the less accessible their bilges tend to be. I know this from extensive experience with traditionally built classic wooden yachts. Having once worked in a brokerage which specialized in such vessels, I have had occasion to inspect the bilges of a lot of traditionally built vessels. Clogged limber holes are one indication of many that the vessel may not have been well cared for previously. 
 
I can tell you from personal experience that limber chains on a sailing vessel run through the limber holes port and starboard to keep the limber holes open on either tack. Limber chains run continuously from the forwardmost limber hole to the aftermost limber hole and in a large vessel are sometimes separated at the lowest point of the bilge where the bilge pump intakes are located.  As the limber chains remain in place continuously, they are light chain made of a noble metal, either copper, brass, or bronze, so they will not corrode. Great strength isn't a major consideration, since they are not required to carry any heavy load. From time to time as a matter of routine maintenance and "as needed," the limber chains are pulled forward and aft to clear the limber holes which are highly prone to clogging with dirt and debris. This prevents bilge water from being dammed up behind the floor timbers. Usually, each end of the chain extends beyond the end limber hole so that the chain can be pulled back and forth a bit without pulling the chain out of the last limber hole at the other end. Sometimes a "keeper" bar is attached to the end of chains to prevent them from pulling through the last limber hole. Alternately, they may be belayed with a lashing to a pad eye. Modernly, on occasion, the limber chain ends are attached to fixed tension springs which permit pulling them fore and aft and springing back in place centered between the two ends. While I cannot vouch for it, I expect that in a large vessel the limber chains may have been installed in sections terminating at a point below a hatch or scuttle in the bilge. In such fashion, the chains could be pulled in sections with less effort required to overcome the friction of the chain running through the limber holes.
 
I've not been able to locate any other information on limber chains in my not inconsiderable research resources. All I can offer beyond this is that you may wish to study the contract specifications for building Admiralty vessels of the period to see if the type of chains are specified. If they are not, it would not necessarily be indicative of their absence, since they would probably be considered fitting out equipment and not primary construction details, but there's always the chance. Alternately, a study of ships' logs of the period may note routine freeing of the limber holes being completed as scheduled and so provide some clues. You may also consider contacting the management of HMS Victory, or other museum ships to ask what arrangements are evident in the period vessels in their care. 
 
LIMBER CHAIN IN THE FORWARD AREA OF A WELL=MAINTAINED BILGE ON A BOAT WITH BRONZE FLOORS:
 

Sorry, but I can't give you any thing definite about what the Admiralty did with their limber chains in the Age of Sail, or if they even had them. It would seem, of course, that they would have because the chains are essential to keeping the limber holes open, particularly in a vessel where the bilge isn't easily accessible and the larger the vessel, the less accessible their bilges tend to be. I know this from extensive experience with traditionally built classic wooden yachts. Having once worked in a brokerage which specialized in such vessels, I have had occasion to inspect the bilges of a lot of traditionally built vessels. Clogged limber holes are one indication of many that the vessel may not have been well cared for previously. 
 
I can tell you from personal experience that limber chains on a sailing vessel run through the limber holes port and starboard to keep the limber holes open on either tack. Limber chains run continuously from the forwardmost limber hole to the aftermost limber hole and in a large vessel are sometimes separated at the lowest point of the bilge where the bilge pump intakes are located.  As the limber chains remain in place continuously, they are light chain made of a noble metal, either copper, brass, or bronze, so they will not corrode. Great strength isn't a major consideration, since they are not required to carry any heavy load. From time to time as a matter of routine maintenance and "as needed," the limber chains are pulled forward and aft to clear the limber holes which are highly prone to clogging with dirt and debris. This prevents bilge water from being dammed up behind the floor timbers. Usually, each end of the chain extends beyond the end limber hole so that the chain can be pulled back and forth a bit without pulling the chain out of the last limber hole at the other end. Sometimes a "keeper" bar is attached to the end of chains to prevent them from pulling through the last limber hole. Alternately, they may be belayed with a lashing to a pad eye. Modernly, on occasion, the limber chain ends are attached to fixed tension springs which permit pulling them fore and aft and springing back in place centered between the two ends. While I cannot vouch for it, I expect that in a large vessel the limber chains may have been installed in sections terminating at a point below a hatch or scuttle in the bilge. In such fashion, the chains could be pulled in sections with less effort required to overcome the friction of the chain running through the limber holes.
 
I've not been able to locate any other information on limber chains in my not inconsiderable research resources. All I can offer beyond this is that you may wish to study the contract specifications for building Admiralty vessels of the period to see if the type of chains are specified. If they are not, it would not necessarily be indicative of their absence, since they would probably be considered fitting out equipment and not primary construction details, but there's always the chance. Alternately, a study of ships' logs of the period may note routine freeing of the limber holes being completed as scheduled and so provide some clues. You may also consider contacting the management of HMS Victory, or other museum ships to ask what arrangements are evident in the period vessels in their care. 
 
LIMBER CHAIN IN THE FORWARD AREA OF A WELL=MAINTAINED BILGE ON A BOAT WITH BRONZE FLOORS:
 

If the paint isn't going to adhere to the metal surface, it will fail between the bottom coat and the metal. Adding more paint will do little, if anything, to make the bond between the metal and the paint any better than the paint alone. Adhesion difficulties on metal surfaces is but another reason why oil-based coatings are preferred over water-based acrylics by many modelers. That said, any yellow metal which is well-cleaned before painting with acetone or a similar solvent to remove any dirt or oil from handling and primed with a suitable metal primer coating should easily meet 100+ year archival standards. 

I, apparently contrary to conventional wisdom, do not see the need to add any clear coating over a finish paint job unless one needs to flatten a finish that is too glossy. What's the purpose of "protecting the paint?" It can take care of itself. I don't know where this fad of covering everything with clear varnish comes from. All it does is thicken the paint coating and thus obliterate surface detail. Obviously, other's mileage differs.