Bob Cleek

Okay, you caught me with some time on my hands. Painting and finishing are highly skilled trades that the painting materials industry has spent generations trying to "dumb down" in order to convince untrained consumers they can "do it yourself" at home. If one wants a professional result, they still have to know how to do it like a professional. 
 
Whether a steel or wood hull, they both should appear "smooth as a baby's bottom" up close if you want to achieve a realistic look at "scale viewing distance." This is a matter of proper painting technique. As they say, a good paint job is 90% preparation and 10% application.  Softwoods like basswood pose the problem of raised grain but this is easily solved. When softwoods especially are exposed to water, or even ambient moisture, their grain will "raise" because the soft wood between the grain absorbs the moisture and swells. The first thing to remember is you must seal the bare wood first. Sealing is an essential first step. Sand your piece well down to 220 or 320 grit abrasive and be sure you have a smooth surface; save for perhaps a few minor dings and divots you will be filling. The purpose of sanding is to remove a thin layer of the surface. Don't sand down to bare wood "chasing" a larger imperfection and don't concentrate sanding on an imperfection. That will cause an uneven surface. After you have sanded well, dust the piece and wipe it with a tack rag and apply sealer.  Don't use water-based sealer, paint, or anything else water-based. (If you use acrylic paints, use those that are thinned with alcohol, not water. Alcohol will not raise wood grain.) The water will soak right into the wood and you'll be back to sanding the grain flat again. I use pre-mixed canned shellac to seal model wood, particularly basswood. Shellac will soak into the wood, but will not raise the grain. Shellac is one of the best moisture barrier coatings available and it will significantly slow the rate of moisture absorption and so stabilize the wood. Shellac is compatible with any paint or varnish.
 
If your hull is smooth, so much the better. Remember the "viewing distance" calculations. If you can't see it at your "scale viewing distance," then leave it off the model. Riveted iron plates can post challenges, of course. Thin paper strips can be applied to the shellac sealer to represent iron plates. Shellac is a good adhesive for them as well. If you are going to be showing plates, portlights, eyebrows and similar details on your hull, then you can modify the schedule below to accommodate the detailed surface you have. Seal well with shellac, then airbrush your successive coats while trying to be as dust-free as possible. If your surface is interrupted by a lot of protruding detail, you will just have to "dance with the girl you brought."
 
After the shellac has dried, it should be sanded with 320 grit until it is perfectly smooth all over. Test the smoothness of your surface with your fingertips. They are far more sensitive to surface smoothness than your eyes alone. Again, sand and tack the piece and then apply a sanding basecoat. Sanding basecoat is a thick white paint that had a fair amount of chalk added to it. It serves as an intermediate layer of the coatings lay-up which will fill very light imperfections and will be easily sanded. It also does double duty as an undercoat which produces a uniformly opaque surface which is essential to a uniform finish coat, (You will be painting forever to try to cover color variations beneath a finish coat. Finish coat paint isn't designed for this.) When the sanding base coat is dry, sand it with 320 grit (or start with 220 and work up to 320 if you've got brush strokes all over it... it's thick stuff) Don't make yourself crazy if you still have some small imperfections. You'll get to those next. Again, dust and tack the surface. 
 
Your surface should be getting close to perfectly smooth at this point but there may be a few imperfections, a scratch here or a little ding there, that haven't been removed. You should sparingly apply surfacing putty to any remaining scratches or dings. (It may also be called "glazing putty," but it's not for puttying windows.) See: Interlux Paint 257P Surfacing Putty - White-Pint | Autoplicity  Surfacing putty is sold in paint stores, chandleries, and auto body and fender supply stores. It's what the pros use to get a perfect finish. It's not cheap but the canned stuff is thinned with acetone and a tablespoon added to the can before sealing well should ensure a long shelf life. There may well be less expensive brands than the Interlux linked above. Check with your local auto paint store. Surfacing putty is about the consistence of toothpaste and is applied to scratches and dings with a flexible spatula or putty knife. The object is to fill the imperfection, and not leave a big "bump" of putty around it. If you apply it properly, a few swipes with some 320 sandpaper should be enough to level the surface without leaving a big "putty bump" on it. The imperfection should be invisible. Pay particular attention to this step and make sure you have not overlooked puttying any imperfections. The fewer there are left, the more they stand out! (Resist the temptation to use drywall patching putty and similar compounds instead of real surfacing putty. their matrix is too coarse and cannot be sanded smooth enough. Similarly, don't substitute "body filler" products like Bondo which are too hard to sand easily. WEST System epoxy resin with their proprietary sanding additives is entirely suitable but somewhat more difficult to sand and quite expensive.)
 
After you've puttied and sanded again, dust and tack and apply a coat of undercoat. Undercoat is a paint designed to cover well and dries "flat" with a matte finish. It provides a base for the finish coat. Importantly, it will seal the areas where you have applied surfacing putty. Dried putty will absorb a finish coating more readily than sanding basecoat and if you skip the basecoat your finish coat will have areas of flat "print through" where you applied surfacing putty unless you sealed the piece with undercoat. When it dries, again sand, dust and tack. This time, however, will be the last time you should be doing anything other than very light sanding on the piece, so take care to be certain that your sanding is absolutely perfect. You may wish to sand with an even finer grit than 320 although there's little to be gained by sanding above 600 grit for modeling purposes because we aren't (or shouldn't be) using high gloss finish coats.
 
For the application of finish coats, it's highly recommended that you go somewhere else with as little ambient dust as possible in order to avoid getting specks of dust in the finish coats. I often use the bathroom when my wife is not at home. It's the least dusty room in any house. Make sure the piece is scrupulously clean. Apply a quality oil-based finish coat. Depending upon the scale, a metal hull can be painted with an eggshell finish. It's a matter of taste, but for larger wooden ships, I prefer a more matte finish than for metal hulls. There are painting instructions elsewhere. You have to be an accomplished painter to apply a perfect finish with a brush. It you aren't, don't bother trying. All your hard work preparing a perfect surface will be for naught if you mess up the finish coats. Most prefer an airbrush because it is easier to use and to control the thickness of the paint application. Apply multiple thin coats. You can always apply another coat when the last one dries and build up your finish coating as needed, but if you put too much paint on at one time and get runs, sags, or "curtains," you're looking at a long and tedious sanding job to correct the damage done.  Don't rush. (It may be a matter of taste, but I wouldn't recommend aerosol "rattle can" paint for quality work such as discussed here. As remarkably reliable as the more expensive brands have become in mass producing plastic spray nozzles, all it takes is a single "spit or sputter" from a rattle can to ruin a finish coat.)
 
As you finish coats are applied, it's a near certainty that some dust will fall on the wet surface and stick there. Do not try to remove dust or anything else from the paint until the paint has completely dried. You may try all you want, but if you go back over a wet surface to just pick out that one gnat that landed on it and got stuck you will make a bigger mess than just leaving it there to dry. After each coat of finish paint is applied and dried well, wipe the surface with a soft cloth and this will remove most all of the dust that may have fallen on it. The dust usually is only microscopically attached to the surface and need only be knocked off and the attachment point will be invisible.
 
Apply as many finish coats as you feel are necessary to get the finish you want. It's not uncommon to miss a spot here or there (called a "holiday" in the trade) and need to apply another coat to correct that. If you do get a run or a sag, let it dry completely and then sand it off fair to the adjacent surface and start again. Don't be discouraged if you have to repeat a step along the way. Attention to detail is essential. 
 
When you reach what you think is your final finish coat there will still probably some dust that stuck to this coat, as well. Let the finish coats dry well. You may also find that your finish is too glossy for your taste, or too matte. This last step addresses dust specks and the reflective quality of the finish. Be sure the finish coats are thoroughly dry. (Like for a week. Particularly synthetic coatings like acrylics may take a lot longer to "dry" (cure) than we think. Those that have "rubbery" latex-like bases will always be difficult to sand. A hard finish sands well.  Obtain some rottenstone and pumice from the paint store. These are inexpensive abrasive powders. Without looking at a carton in my hand right now, I'm going to guess and say that pumice is the finer abrasive powder and rottenstone is the coarser of the two. These abrasive powders are used by being rubbed on the workpiece with a soft damp cloth. The coarser powder will remove the gloss. The more you rub, the less glossy the surface will become. Further rubbing, however will soften the surface to a beautiful eggshell finish. Use of the finer powder will do the same, but can be worked up to a high gloss finish if rubbed enough. This is a "hand-rubbed finish." There are lots of YouTube videos about hand-rubbing finishes, which is commonly done in fine furniture finishing. This hand-rubbing will remove all the dust specks that were on the painted surface and leave a perfectly smooth surface with the reflective quality of your choice.
 
In summary,
 
1.   Sand and shellac to seal.
2.   Sand and sanding basecoat
3.   Sand and surfacing putty
4.   Sand and undercoat
5.   Sand and finish coat
6.   Hand-rub finish coat
 
When you go to the maritime museums and see the magnificent builders' yard models of the steamships of the early years of the last century with their perfectly painted "iron" and "steel" hulls, this is how it was done. 

Both photos were taken by Ray Talmage

Beautiful photos! Quite a clever display solution, too!
 
If you don't mind a few curious questions:
 
How does she sail? Have you noticed any similarities in sailing characteristics between the prototype and the model?
 
How ded the R?C sheet servos work out? Is it possible to let the sheets run free in the event of a gust of wind and a potential knock-down?
 
I also am curious about retrieval options. She doesn't appear to be powered, so what do you do if she is becalmed or otherwise "incapacitated" in the middle of the pond? In the old days, when "free sailed" pond yachts were in vogue, they'd only sail them on purpose-built model sailing ponds and the boats that "went their own way" would eventually drift to the edge of the pond and be fetched with long poles or they'd have a row boat that they could use to go out and retrieve the model boats. As far as I know, there are only two such model yacht ponds in the U.S. anymore, one in New York's Central Park and the other, Spreckles Lake in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. (See: https://www.sfmyc.org/ )

Hadn't thought of a kayak. That'll do it and it's easily car-topped, too.  She sure does look pretty under sail.

Beautiful photos! Quite a clever display solution, too!
 
If you don't mind a few curious questions:
 
How does she sail? Have you noticed any similarities in sailing characteristics between the prototype and the model?
 
How ded the R?C sheet servos work out? Is it possible to let the sheets run free in the event of a gust of wind and a potential knock-down?
 
I also am curious about retrieval options. She doesn't appear to be powered, so what do you do if she is becalmed or otherwise "incapacitated" in the middle of the pond? In the old days, when "free sailed" pond yachts were in vogue, they'd only sail them on purpose-built model sailing ponds and the boats that "went their own way" would eventually drift to the edge of the pond and be fetched with long poles or they'd have a row boat that they could use to go out and retrieve the model boats. As far as I know, there are only two such model yacht ponds in the U.S. anymore, one in New York's Central Park and the other, Spreckles Lake in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. (See: https://www.sfmyc.org/ )

Hadn't thought of a kayak. That'll do it and it's easily car-topped, too.  She sure does look pretty under sail.

Equipment of the mizzen yard - Slings and Quarterblock / Suspentes et poulie d'ecoute
The mizzen yard of the La Créole had no jackstay and only a quarter block for deflecting the sheets in the middle of the yard. This block was therefore designed as a double block, as can be seen in the following detailed photo of the Paris model.
 

Source: La Créole monograph by J. Boudriot, page 168
 
Based on these double blocks with a length of 5.6 mm in model size, I would like to explain my method of block production in more detail.
I scale the drawing of a double block from the Atlas du génie maritime to the required size and glue the printout to a strip of pear wood with the appropriate dimensions. Since I use separate discs for this block size, the disc gates are milled in the next step. In this case with a width of 0.6 mm.
After shaping with an emery file, the grooves for the strops are made with a round file. The fine sanding is done with a fine steel wool and the final finish is done with a ball matting.

 
As can be seen in the next picture, I have meanwhile attached the fully served slings and in between the double block for the mizzen topsail sheets using rose lashings.


      
The next step will be the production of the truss pendants.
Sequel follows …

Bob (and others so interested)  For a model, she seems to slip along nicely.  She is reasonably quick in response to the transmitter's signals. The first sea trials indicated that additional rudder area would permit less rudder to need to be applied. Tacking was not crisp because both the headsail and the foresail lazy sheets were hanging up against the standing rigging.  And, you know, after years of sailing the original MAGIC from the cockpit, changing headings was intuitive. Rudder control while standing ashore as the model sailed away was also not a mental stretch...but keeping it all together when she's heading back will take more training of the operator.
The jury is still out on the functionality of the sheet servos because of the lazy sheet issue. The servos seem to have the necessary torque but they do take time to tighten the sheets on the working side, however I'm not trying to make foiling-speed tacks.  Not sure  whether the sheets would release as fast as simple rudder action would let her up. More trials required there.
When she gets becalmed or "otherwise incapacitated" ( that expression got us chuckling, Bob), Vicky or someone else serving as "Rescue", paddles out to get her. 
Here is Skip Allan serving as a reverse tugboat when the wind died the first morning. (Photo by Vicky Johnsen)
And Herself in WOODSTOCK. a Tom Hill ultralight glued lap canoe

Well, it certainly looks like you are well on your way to success! Beautifully done, clean, crisp work. It looks perfect, 

I've had two goes at the Winchelsea. I realised not long into the first build that the model was far too complex for someone of my limited experience and skill level so I gave up to start again. W2 was a much better effort but there were things I was unhappy with and  I ( I suspect many of us) can get disproportionately bugged by things I look at and think: if I did that again I'd do it better. So I took a break and made Syren's lovely cutter Cheerful in boxwood from Hobbymill EU and I'm very pleased with it too.
 
I thought I might have a go at a scratch build but I think that's beyond me. Apart from any other failings I simply don't have the knowledge. What I want to build though is a fully rigged ship. My own view - lots won't share it - is that rigging really sets off a model beautifully. So I've decided to have a go at a fully rigged Winchelsea. Scratch building the masts seems reasonably achievable and within my compass. And having had two as it turns out dummy runs at Winchelsea I'm reasonably confident I can make a decent effort this time.
 
So here goes.
 
I decided to start with the masts on the footing that if I can't get those right the project will go nowhere. I'm not strung up on historical accuracy (though I would welcome observations). I'm using a combination of Shipyard Model HMS Enterprize and Anatomy of a Ship HMS Diana plans with Herbert/Antscherl books for methodology.
 
I started with the crosstrees for the main mast. Here are parts 1-4, again in boxwood from Hobbymill EU.. 


And then the tops.







I made the mizzen mast first. Here it is (with the bowsprit).

This is the mizzen top more or less complete thogh I wonder if I should file down the radating battens towards the centre a bit more yet. The top is not glued to the crosstrees and the cap is not finished.
 

And here the bowsprit. Cutting the bowsprit from square section to this stage took most of of a full day.




And here trying the bowsprit for size (although not yet cut to length) on W2. I'm also having a bit of a go - experimenting really - at the ship's boats. That is the pinnace sitting midships.
 

 
I have cut out and assembled all the frames with sockets to take the masts. This is where I am at the moment. The masts of course are not glued in nor are the tops glued to the crosstrees or topmasts glued.

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 
 

All the best everyone
Fred
 
 
 

It doesn't seem fair to leave this tale at the above picture.
We first launched MAGIC in late November, 2021 and managed some preliminary sea trials. These generated a bit of a "squawk" list, as might be expected and I managed to work on a couple of items before her next sail 2 months later.
Photos by Vicky Johnsen

Above image taken by Vicky Johnsen in early January, 2022
 
We were fortunate to be able to build a mounting/display cradle in the house to hold her before life intervened for 15 months. The only space with suitable height was above the fireplace (we have a cat - 'nuff said) but the supporting shelf needed to be able to be raised and lowered. Hollow-cored panels were glued up and bonded together and the hull rested along her centerline with a maple stub projecting up into the keel slot.  A bolt projects from the backboard through the midship hawse of the bulwarks into a retention plate on the inboard side. This arrangement keeps the model from tipping over away from the wall.  The mainmast clears the roof T&G by 3/8".
And here she sat, not quite finished nor properly sailing for the next 15 months or so.
 
Nearly current...
 

Sally soon stopped by with the newly-sewn up sails and I set to doing the necessary handwork at the corners, the sail slides and the fitting of the mainsail's battens.  Once this work was done, I raised the new sails for the first time and began setting up the running rigging as well as tweaking the positioning and luff tensions on the masts.



The bowsprit net was knotted up and hung in place. 
 
And I started getting impatient to start MAGIC on her sea trails even though there remained a list of projects yet to finish.  In our locale, there are very few useful launch ramps, either into a bay or nearby fresh water lakes.  At that time, (November, 2021), we were also further limited due to the extreme drought's effect on the levels of the lakes.  Since the useful access to the bay's two ramps was strongly effected by tidal height/current, there were also only a couple of days a month when, winds permitting, an initial launch for a sea trial made sense. 
 
First launch and sea trials next
 
 
 

Not sure if you are telling this story after the fact or in real time. I'm betting your local Joann's fabric store is going to give you a blank stare when you ask if they have any three-quarter ounce nylon spinnaker cloth!  
 
Very creative fabrication solution for the sail track slides. They look great, too. 

Indeed they do. Actually, there are three basic types of molding sand and lots of specialty sands for various applications, but the basic, tried and true "el cheapo" material is called "green sand." It's a mixture of very fine sand with about ten percent finely ground up kitty litter and water. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to mix up your own casting sand. You can also buy it premixed from foundry supply houses. 

Not sure if you are telling this story after the fact or in real time. I'm betting your local Joann's fabric store is going to give you a blank stare when you ask if they have any three-quarter ounce nylon spinnaker cloth!  
 
Very creative fabrication solution for the sail track slides. They look great, too. 

Indeed they do. Actually, there are three basic types of molding sand and lots of specialty sands for various applications, but the basic, tried and true "el cheapo" material is called "green sand." It's a mixture of very fine sand with about ten percent finely ground up kitty litter and water. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to mix up your own casting sand. You can also buy it premixed from foundry supply houses. 

Indeed they do. Actually, there are three basic types of molding sand and lots of specialty sands for various applications, but the basic, tried and true "el cheapo" material is called "green sand." It's a mixture of very fine sand with about ten percent finely ground up kitty litter and water. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to mix up your own casting sand. You can also buy it premixed from foundry supply houses. 

Craig,  
 
Just amazing work and as I posted earlier a beautiful subject.
 
I am interested in your sand casting.  As a kid I often tried to cast toy soldiers to replace broken ones.  My father took a dim view of this.  He was concerned about steam- hot lead explosions.  I later did cast a set of ducks like yours in a crude sand mold.  What kind of sand did you use?  I believe foundries use special sand that allows the pattern to be removed without collapsing the mold.
 
Roger

While Vicky continued with her detail varnishing, I made arrangements to visit a neighbor's pool to conduct a displacement and trim check. The boat was weighed on a scale beforehand without ballast or rig and then at the pool, calibrated weights were added into the bilge to bring her down to her waterline. Weights were also adjusted fore-and-aft to tweak the trim. Allowing weight for her rig and sails, most of the remainder would be configured into her ballast bulb. (Yes, I did factor in the difference between freshwater and salt water buoyancies.) The aft-mounted propane locker - carved from a block of AYC with teak trim - had been finished and mounted by this time. I was pleased that the location of the ballast keel trunk proved to be in the correct fore and aft position.

After the float testing, MAGIC returned to the building cradle for more work. I built the hollow spruce masts and once shaped, we trial fitted them to check rake angles and standing rigging lengths.
   Here, the glued mainmast is curing and the early stages of the boom gallows fabrication from brass tubing, bronze plate and teak is shown.

More bits of hardware


                                      The boom, gaff and a variety of blocks were made and varnished                                      
The turnbuckles arrived from Florida 
 
    and the mainsheet arrangement was trial fitted.
 
The first "raising of the masts" showed that the rake angles needed a bit of tuning.     

I believe the archival material for inking such details is old fashioned India ink applied with a drafting pen over a smooth wood surface previously sealed with shellac or thinned varnish. India ink is basically water, shellac, and lampblack. Modern "markers" with synthetic inks are not necessarily color-fast. "Permanent" means it won't wash out of your clothes and "waterproof" means it won't run or smear if it gets wet. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess.
 

Here you go: 
It's from the "More" drop-down menu at the top of the forum homepage under "ropemaking."

I believe the archival material for inking such details is old fashioned India ink applied with a drafting pen over a smooth wood surface previously sealed with shellac or thinned varnish. India ink is basically water, shellac, and lampblack. Modern "markers" with synthetic inks are not necessarily color-fast. "Permanent" means it won't wash out of your clothes and "waterproof" means it won't run or smear if it gets wet. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess.
 

Lovely work! I'm curious about what design arrangements you've made for her sailing qualities. Am I correct that your "dagger board" slot will carry the customary long, removable fin with a ballast bulb on the bottom end?

I believe the archival material for inking such details is old fashioned India ink applied with a drafting pen over a smooth wood surface previously sealed with shellac or thinned varnish. India ink is basically water, shellac, and lampblack. Modern "markers" with synthetic inks are not necessarily color-fast. "Permanent" means it won't wash out of your clothes and "waterproof" means it won't run or smear if it gets wet. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess.
 

Here you go: 
It's from the "More" drop-down menu at the top of the forum homepage under "ropemaking."