Philadelphia by Elijah - Model Shipways - 1:24 Scale - Continental Gunboat

[Elijah]

Thanks Mike! Though they are two different metals, I plan to paint it to make them work together. My only problem is that I'm not very experienced with gluing metal onto metal, so I don't really know what I'm doing!

[kurtvd19]

Elijah:

Either C/A or epoxy will do the job.  Just make sure it's a tight fit - no gaps if you use C/A.  The epoxy will fill a small a gap.  Then paint.

Kurt

[Brucealanevans]

Elijah

thick CA will work well, but it takes a while to set. Hold it in place for a minute or more, then carefully let go. After a minute more nudge it if it has moved and hold carefully a bit more. Once it’s in place don’t touch it for an hour. Don’t ask how I know. It fils gaps.  Don’t put them on until you’ve stained the hull. That’s what I used for that piece, as well as gluing the ends on the cannons. For those make sure you have the barrels vertical so gravity doesn’t upset things. 

Medium CA doesn’t work near as well. 

Epoxy will also work if you already have that. 

 

[mikiek]

If possible sand or lightly file the pieces before gluing.

[Elijah]

Thanks, that sound like it should work. 

[Elijah]

So, I'm trying to decide on which color to stain the exterior of the hull. I have it down to two couples in considering. The one on the right and the one on the left. I'm thinking I will do the center color for the interior. Left to right, the stains are Minwax Dark Walnut, Special Walnut, and Provincial.

What's your take?

[EJ_L]

What colors/stains will wales or trim pieces be? I would use contrasting colors to make them "pop", so if the wales are going to be a dark color, go with the provincial. If lighter than stain the hull dark walnut. If they are all going to be the same then pick your favorite!  I think the light, special walnut stain for the interior is a good choice as it simulates a well worn white color that in my opinion would be appropriate for the interiors. 

[mikiek]

Elijah - the wood you are going to stain - is it all the same species? I ask because I have the Provincial stain and it looks different on different woods. It gets pretty dark on softer woods (basswood) as it soaks in a lot. On harder wood (boxwood) it fills in the grains but doesn't soak in as much. Make sure you do a color test with the same type of wood.

[Elijah]

This is the same wood used on the model. This test was constructed from scrap planks leftover from planking. All of the model is the same wood, I believe its basswood. Its the same stuff you get in most model shipways kits.

[mikiek]

Just wanted to be sure. I got burned once doing that. Tested on basswood, real material was boxwood. It looked awful. Hardwoods take stain a lot differently than softwoods.

[Elijah]

Ouch! 

[mikiek]

That's why I'm kinda partial to Minwax Natural now. I just makes the wood look wet but no color change.

 

You know now that I think about it, that finish you had on Phantom would look pretty good here also. The only problem is you would have 2 boats the same color.

[russ]

Elijah:

Your model is coming along really well. Nice work.

 

When staining basswood, please make sure to use a sanding sealer or pre stain conditioner. This will help even out the color and cut down on the blotchy effect. Basswood is soft and it has some areas that are denser than others. Thus the stain will soak in more here, less there. That is what creates the blotchy effect. The pre stain conditioner will cut down on that and should eliminate it. I have had good luck using pre stain conditioner, wipe it off, and then stain right after.

 

Russ

[mikiek]

Good suggestion Russ!

[Elijah]

Yes. The demo pictured above was treated with Minwax pre-stain conditioner before it was stained.

[Elijah]

Happy new year! Recently I attempted to stain the interior of the hull. As we all know, hindsight is 20/20. Well, stupid me from a few days ago forgot to shake the container of the stain before using it!  This meant that all the pigment was settled at the bottom. The stain I tried to apply had little to no effect. The interior is now a shade darker, mostly due to the pre-stain wood conditioner. Anyway, I now have some shopping to do! Attached is a photo of my staining setup. 

 

Edited January 2, 2018 by Elijah

[kurtvd19]

Elijah:

I can give you some more stain at the next meeting or if you can stop by.

Kurt

[Elijah]

Thank you very much Kurt! That would be great!

[mikiek]

I believe they call that "Natural" stain    There is such a thing believe it or not. It's a Minwax color (or non color). I use it quite often. No color, it just gives kind of a wet look.

 

Do you not have any thinner? Add a little to what you have left.

[kurtvd19]

I didn't give him a lot the first time.  Will make sure he's got enough this time.  I only had a small container at the time and his ride was waiting.

Kurt

[Elijah]

So, I've stained the hull, inside and out! The outside was not very difficult. The inside was a little more tricky. I'm thinking, since the pre stain wood conditioner had been allowed to set in for more than a week, I don't think the stain was able to set in as well. That being said, I don't think the look is that bad, so I think I will keep it. I noticed, after letting it dry for two days, it had a bit of shine on the inside. I used some sandpaper to take that shine off. The outside and inside look to show significant wear. What do you think of the finish?

 

The initial shine of the stain after drying.

[Elijah]

[Elijah]

[russ]

Your stain looks pretty good in the photos. The wood has some age to it now.  

 

For future reference, always stain within two hours of using the pre-conditioner. I have had the best results doing it that way. 

 

Russ

[EJ_L]

I agree with Russ that the stain looks good. It does have an aged look to it which makes for a nice finish.

[donrobinson]

I like the looks of it Elijah

[DocBlake]

I think the stain works well...very realistic, Elijah.  Nice job!

[Seventynet]

I’m joining the stain looks good chorus. Well done.

Ian

[Geoff Matson]

Great job on the stain. 

[Canute]

I definitely like the color of your staining. Good job!