Using Holly for decks

[Jim Rogers]

When I was stationed in Italy the USS Little Rock CLG4 had wood decks made of teak, they were brown in color not white. Many of the old sailing ships used Pine for decking which is also brown. So why do modelers use Holly for decks? It is pretty and all but the ship’s boatswain would have hated it.

[mtaylor]

I think that Holly is closer to the deck colors of at least the Royal Navy as their decks were holystoned (at least once a week) on a frequent basis.  

[jud]

The Teak decks on the Helena and other navy ships were Holy stoned once a week using a concoction of boiler cleaning compound, scouring powder, salt water soap and bleach mixed the evening before in a large galvanized garbage can and left to bubble and burp over night. Shined the can and bleached the decks, sometimes they were almost white. This photo was aboard the USS Helena, CA 75, Port side amidships, compartment behind crewmen was a gun director radar room, above it was a 3" 50 magazine and above that a 3" 50 Gun, 'Mt 34 '. To the right was a deck house with a 5" 38 loading machine on top and the Whaleboat on the left was the duty lifeboat underway. These decks are due for a scrubbing and holy stoning. Blowing BoilerTubes would darken any deck.

Edited January 2, 2018 by jud

[Jaager]

My guess is that some the 17th - 18th c English model makers used Holly for decks

and/or someone closer to our time who was influential did and it got the

status it has.

[druxey]

You raise an interesting question, Jim. Holly decks are a model-makers' convention. Another convention that does not reflect 'real' ships is ebony for false keels. Yet another is using black line for standing rigging. These styles were begun by well-known model-makers and then copied by many others. And so it continues. 

 

Personal taste comes in to play here. Some prefer a stylized look to their models. Others prefer a 'realistic' appearance to their models, including wear and weathering.

You, as the maker, have to please yourself (unless you are building on commission for a client). There are no absolute right or wrongs.

[Landlubber Mike]

To me, holly looks a little too light.  But, I think it really depends on the overall aesthetic you’re trying to achieve.  It certainly works if you’re using it with woods of bright color and no grain (or if you’re using paint).  If using darker colors, or woods with more grain, etc., it might not work as well.

[Matrim]

Holly also differs in shade. I am using a darker piece for my current model. Originally holly was probably used as a 'design for effect' sort of thing. Using the actual wood miight have the correct colour biut at scale it might appaear far too dark ciompated to what the same wood would have looked like in situ.