Chaperon 1894 by Mike Dowling - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Sternwheeler Steamer

[Panama Port]

Hey Mike,

Now that I have connected you to this build I will follow along with interest. Both our boats are at a similar stage so it will be fun as we continue along. I agree with Kurt. Given the number of bulkheads on your model and the apparent care you took to fair them, I think the planking will go very smoothly.

Marv

[Cathead]

Mike, I agree with Chuck, and heck I could send you the plans I used for my Far West, as I don't need them anymore.

 

Anyway, great start, keep it up!

[Mike Dowling]

Thanks Marv, good to have you along.

 

A question in advance for you Kurt, why did you decide on the red deck colour scheme and should the hull really be white to be realistic or doesn't it matter ?

[Cathead]

Speaking from my own knowledge, many riverboats used a dark red paint on their lower decks, wheels, etc. And white is very definitely accurate. Though for true correctness you might stain the lower bit muddy!

[kurtvd19]

I agree 100% with Cathead on the colors.  Red was by far the most common deck color though brown was also used.  Most hulls were white but black was also used.  Check the photos I had posted of the Chaperon to see the white hull, but the photo I posted of the model made by Sam Parent had a black hull and made a very attractive boat.  If you are going to model the Chaperon as the Chaperon then I would definitely go with the white hull but if you change the name use black or white.

Kurt

[Mike Dowling]

Next instalment !

 

The hull is now covered which I must say was a bit more of a wrestling match than previous paddle steamers I have done but I feel I have emerged victorious !!

 

Next stage is to do some serious sanding before filling remaining gaps.

 

 

 

 

[kurtvd19]

Mike:

I told you not to dread the hull planking.  It looks good.

Kurt

[Mike Dowling]

Did you forget my pictures Kurt ?

[Roger Pellett]

A variation of Kurt's color scheme for the decks that you might wish to consider would be a darker red for the decks (the paddle wheels are bright red). Red iron oxide has been used for many years here in the US as an industrial paint. It has one major virtue, it is cheap! The pigment used for this paint is iron oxide an abundant natural mineral. It has been used since Colonial times. At one time most barns in the US were painted with this paint, and here on the lakes it was and still is a favorite color for shipboard use. For many years, I worked for companies that built piping systems for industrial applications and this was used as a construction primer to protect the piping until it could be erected and insulated. When proprietary paint was costing us over $35 per gallon, this stuff cost $14 from a local paint manufacturer.

 

I don't know what is available to you in Great Britain but here in the US this color is widely available in spray cans as a metal primer.

 

Several years ago Eric Ronnberg published a set of color chips that included this color in the Nautical Research Journal and I believe that it has been reproduced on their website.

 

Roger Pellett

[Cathead]

I agree with Roger; a dull, weathered red is ideal for the deck. I was very happy with my use of pastels to achieve this color without paint.

 

Nice planking!

[kurtvd19]

Mike:

No, I didn't forget, just very busy.  Will get them to you this coming week for sure. 

 

I agree that Oxide Red is a good color for decks and the wheel.  It was commonly used and cheap.  The Ronnberg colors are not on the NRG website.  However, they are in the Shop Notes 2 book we sell from the web site.  The printing of the colors was expensive to assure they were accurately duplicated in the SN2 and for the accuracy of the colors to be true showing them on the website is not possible due to many variables in monitors.

 

Kurt

[Panama Port]

Nice job Mike. Planking came out very nice. There are more contours in that hull than were apparent from the frames.

[Mike Dowling]

Here is something I have found works brilliantly and may be useful for others. Before even trying to use filler on untreated wood, eg. planking I have found it well worth giving a coat of what I call dope but others call sanding sealer. If you don't seal, the wood absorbs moisture from the filler, expands and then when it eventually dries you have to start again. The filler stick fine to the treated surface without causing the expansion/ contraction. Once dry and sanded there should be little or no filler to add.

[WackoWolf]

Nice tip. Thanks

[Mike Dowling]

By way of illustration of my handy tip (!!!), the hull is now filled and sanded ready to put the keel strip on and then first coat of paint.

 

 

 

 

[fifthace]

Paddle Steamers have such strange hull profiles lol.

 

Looks great so far though Mike

[Mike Dowling]

Gosh, where have you been Dom ? Should I PM you for more details ?!!!!!

[cog]

That Scottish Preserve is your base layer ... before painting and filling  ...

 

She looks quite smooth ...

[reklein]

Mike ,if you're interested in more paddle wheels,you may want to check out Interaction Hobbies, C.R. Lamb. Its a Canadian firm which may facilitate taxes and shipping etc. Their model is in 1/87 scale which makes for a nice little model to display. The prototype was use on Lake Okanogan. Its is laser cut from wood and "laser board" which is an epoxy impregnated wood. Not an easy kit to build but very satisfying.

                                               Bill in Idaho

[Mike Dowling]

Thanks so much Bill for the suggestion. I found the link and it looks like a great boat but, I think it may be a bit pricey when taking into account the shipping cost and the 20% VAT we have to pay in the UK.

[Mike Dowling]

Hey there my expert friends,

 

Should I or did you use matt paint for the hull or go for a satin finish ? I assume gloss is quite out of the question ?

[kurtvd19]

Dead flat will be most accurate. 

Kurt

[Mike Dowling]

Thanks Kurt but God knows how you dust it !!!!

[thomaslambo]

Hi Mike,

 

This looks like a fun build and you're off to a great start...I look forward to following your progress 

[kurtvd19]

Mike:

Put it in a case!!  I used to make a lot of $$ cleaning models that were not in cases - gave it up as it was sad to see the same models a few years later that had deteriorated more by the constant exposure.

Kurt

[Mike Dowling]

Well folks,

 

I made myself a stand for the beast !

 

Having done all the filling and sanding I tried to hand paint the hull as I don't have an airbrush. After four, yes four coats of paint it still looked absolutely dreadful. So I purchased a matt white aerosol spray paint, sanded the whole thing down again and gave it three coats of spray. Strange really, gloss paint is easy to get a smooth finish but matt (thanks Kurt) is a nightmare.

 

Never mind, it's done now and I must admit to being rather pleased with the result.

 

I have been building the boiler whilst waiting for the paint to be delivered and I managed to find some iron oxide acrylic paint to do the decks with, coming soon!

 

 

[cog]

Mike,

 

Lovely stand, for me it looks a bit fragile below the beast. Just out of curiosity, any reason for the small size in stand?

[Mike Dowling]

No sensible answer to that really Carl. I sort of gauged the size to that of my Robert E Lee Steamer and whilst I know this is a bit bigger I didn't want the stand to detract too much if that makes any sense ?!

 

Just going back a bit to previous comments, if I paint the decks in iron oxide colour, should the paddle wheel be a brighter red or the same as the decks ?

[kurtvd19]

Mike:

I would go with the oxide red for the decks and the wheel.  Anything red would be the same red.

Kurt

[Mike Dowling]

And here are a couple of shots of the boiler. A wee bit more paint and the steam lines to go on but otherwise done. Matt black really doesn't photograph well and I can't believe something so boring to look at could have taken so long to put together!