Hr. Ms. Java 1925 by Piet - FINISHED - Pacific Cross Roads - 1:350 - PLASTIC - Light Cruiser of Royal Netherlands Navy as she was in 1942

[lmagna]

Like Mark I have crossed fingers and hope only for the best.

[cog]

Jan

That won't give the same "glassy" shine as the poly. I do have seen a few guys on youtube make the sea from acrylic kit products ...

[amateur]

I know, but the risk is smaller,  and I don't like risks. Second: I prefer low tech over high-tech. That's why polymers wouldn't be my first choice.

I have seen very nice seas composed from toilet-paper, water diluted glue, acrylic paint and high-gloss lacquer.

 

Jan

[Piet]

Thank you friends for looking in and your concerns and suggestions.  So very true, it's a big step into the unknown, for me at least. I understand there are several ways to depict a sea and picking the right one is a toss up.  Actually, no matter what material is used it's still a rendering and not the real thing so we must use what may possibly give me the most realistic effect. I don't mind working with polymers or epoxies, have done that when I part owned an aircraft repair facility.  One builder on the NRG  showed his method by using clear caulking compound that one may use to seal bathtubs with.  He first painted the bottom blue and then proceeded to lay in the caulking compound. When it started to set he dabbed waves into it and let the blue under-paint give the effect of a blue sea.  The photos made it look really good. 

 

In the meantime I have made a small mock up and think I should just go ahead and use the polymer stuff.  I will however follow Lou's suggestion to use cling wrap around the model and place it that way into the groove I had made for it.  That way I can still lift it out and forget the diorama idea (after having spend $100 on it  )  Lifting it out gives me another advantages - to be able to remove some of the polymer around the hull where the water makes a dip. The third benefit is that I can raise the model about 1 mm higher. if needed for the effect i am looking for..

And Jan, I have left the props off the model and even the rudder could have been left off because it won't be visible.

From what Jan mentioned that people have been painting the sea with acrylic paints anyway.  That's what I will most likely wind up doing.

 

So then, having said all that, I have talked myself into going ahead with it.  The first pour will be 3 mm thick with a blue tinted layer. This will be tucked along the sides and somewhat under the hull - that's wrapped in cling wrap. This layer must gel up to the sticky state before pouring the next 3 mm layer, also tinted in blue. These two layers must completely cure before the "wave making" compound can be put in top. According to the directions it's more like sculpting procedure using water-wet pop sickle sticks and paint brushes.

The paint colors I may need are thee colors of blue, one yellow in case i want to tint a breaking wave with green and some very light grey or white. The light grey is to simulate the reflection of the hull, may look better then stark white.

 

After I'm happy with the results I can then lift the model out, remove the cling wrap, replace the model and finish with some more poly around the hull and sculpting the water around it.  That to me may be the most difficult part.

 

No time to show the mock up tonight, it's my bed time and you know that's very important for old men, they need plenty of sleep  

 

Cheers,

[amateur]

Hope you slept well. 

Weall anxiously wait for the outcome

[cog]

Beauty sleep not yet over ...!?!?!?

[amateur]

Gelderland and the States are (at least, so I have been told) in different time zones. Guess he just started his beautysleep.  So, we can go to work, and still be home in time to see him waking up

Jan

[cog]

You know those youngsters, they catch their zzzzzz's whenever possible, so you never know when he starts his work ... Piet???????? C'mon get up

[Piet]

Thanks for the wake-up calls fellows.  Yes, it's about 6 hours difference between youns and ussens so I'm half an hour away from beddy time - again

I have an eye doctor appointment tomorrow morning, he is going to blow the "moss' from my right eye lens, with laser power.  It's called "YAG capsulotomy.  That seems to be a standard problem after cataract surgery. It's really been bothersome, the right eye looks through a fog and the left eye is trying to compensate, causing some confusion.  Not that that's so remarkable, I'm a rather confused old fart anyhow   Yeah, it's been very noticeable doing this small scale work.

 

Okay, for some reason by new cell phone seems to have a problem downloading my photos to the DropBox storage app and consequently I can't download it to my confuser. I am now in the progress of e-mailing the pics to myself, even that is taking its own sweet time. Hopefully I have the pics tomorrow to show all youns what I have been doing.

 

Yup, I poured the sea and it worked pretty good. I am glad that I used the cling wrap around the ship though. I had to deepen the groove another 16th of an inch to lower the ship some more. I'm happy with the results so far.

Next comes the removal of some sea around the hull where it makes a dip and when that's done to my satisfaction I'll go ahead and cement the hull in place and pour some poly around it and then form the waves.

 

Cheers,

[lmagna]

PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES! I can't wait to see the pictures

[amateur]

yeah, not showing pictures is a bit of a no-go strategy. Actually, it is a near-criminal act 

 

Hope the surgery solves the eye-problems. Not being able to see well is a bit of a handicap when you do small-scale work. Actually, it is a bit of a handicap in all your doings....

 

Jan

 

 

 

 

[Piet]

Thank you Lou and Jan for dropping in.  I'm still sorting out the photo problem, it looks promising for a download but not tonight.

The eye procedure is postponed and set for May 17 for the right eye and May 24 for the left eye. Right now I'm heavily dependent on my optiviser over a 2.5X reading glasses. 

Just been extremely busy with other things and seem to have only one hour in the late evening to log on MSW

 

Cheers,

 

 

[lmagna]

I was just joking Piet. Take your time and get your other things taken care of first.

 

See you when you get here.

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by lmagna

[Piet]

Oh, I understand Lou. We did the same with a few others on the forum - I remember Sjors we did it to, more pictures Sjors.

I finally managed to copy the pics I send via e-mail to myself to my desktop. My cellphone also managed to upload the pics to DropBox, which took a lot of time. In any case, I have all the pics now and just need to transfer them to my "Java" folder.

 

Here is the test piece I made that made me decide to go ahead and pour the sea.  The surface became automatically rough without any help on my part.  The only problem I found is that it climbs up on the verticals.  This should not be a problem with the actual pour because I'll have the model wrapped in cling film.

A closeup of the stern during the second pour. The surface was still as smooth as glass when wet, the cling wrap is reflected in it. This caused me some concern with the process of making waves but it worked out okay as you'll see when it's cured.

 

Bow view during the second pour, here you can really see how shiny and smooth the whet surface is. Oh yeah, I had to constantly pull the cling wrap up and out of the poly.

 

Here we see the cured sea and the development of surface roughness. I did scrape the indications for the bow wave into it.

 

I took the diorama outside in the shade to let the defused light shine through the poly, I'm rather pleased with the effect even though the sea appears a little dark.But I hope to dress it up with the added waves in lighter colors and some white.

 

This shows the sea after the cure with the "Java" pulled out. It almost look like the side scan of the sea floor after the salvagers lifted her out.

 

Here I placed "Java" back into the hole. The tapes on the sides are markers where I have to remove some of the sea alongside the hull.  Photos of "java" at full speed show a long dip around the midsection of the hull and somewhat higher at the stern with somewhat of a rooster tail from the propellers.. A bonus is that the poly raised slightly above the sides.

Another shot of "Java" steaming South at 29 knots with her starboard cannons in action against the JIN.

 

Hope youns like it, it sure looks promising to me, keep fingers crossed.

 

Cheers,

[mtaylor]

Looking great, Piet.  I'm smiling form ear to ear because it's all coming together with no hitches.  

[Old Collingwood]

Looking Superb  that base and sea really brings it all together.

 

OC.

[cog]

3 hours ago, Piet said:

Hope youns like it, it sure looks promising to me, keep fingers crossed.

I'm thrilled to bits when I see your Java displayed like this. I am curious as to how your sea will turn out.

[lmagna]

I am too. Now it is on to bigger and better things. The whole diorama will truly be a spectacular monument not only to your father but to your abilities.  

[amateur]

Wow, that looks wonderfull. Dont iverdo the waves and details, it is wuite atunning how irr is.

 

did you already try a pic at a low cameraposition?

 

jan

[Omega1234]

Hi Piet

 

That sea looks seriously nice and realistic.  Your Java is certainly going to stand proud and true once mounted.

 

Cheers. 

 

Patrick

[JesseLee]

Looking great Piet!

 

Jesse

[Canute]

Great work there, Piet. It'll be a fitting memorial. Getting effective water in a diorama is hard work, especially ocean water.

[Piet]

Thank you everyone for your very kind words, its very much appreciated. 

I would have liked the "sea" a little lighter blue but it is what it is.  It's primarily due to the cobalt blue under-painting.  I purposely didn't mix a lot of blue coloring in the first layer of the "sea" to keep it more transparent. The second and final layer was just slightly darker and is hiding the lower hull quite well.

 

Yes, Jan, your admonition is well taken, because at a 16 mile per hour wind there is not much of a chop, plus the fact that at this scale wave height is hardly measurable.  Let's say that we have 2 feet waves that calculates out to 1.7 mm and with 3 feet waves it shows at a but over 3 mm.  So, if I can muster it, I'll try to give the "sea" just a little more life with some random placed waves. 

 

I think that the froth action around the model will draw the attention more then waves. How to achieve that is also a concern.  The stuff I bought for that purpose is clear end the blue "sea" will certainly shine through it, which I don't want.  Frothy water is opaque and whitish looking.  I'll have to experiment with how to achieve that.  Perhaps tinting the "sea" in those areas white with an acrylic white wash that may give me the desired effect. 

 

Well, this morning I took the time to cement "Java" into the "sea."  I then mixed some more blue tinted polyester and poured it into the gaps around the ship to fill it up.  In doing this I inadvertently hit the port side antenna wires that broke off from the aft mast.  So, I'll have to make a new one.  I also put some of the blue poly on the lower part of the hull but that can be painted over. Fortunately there is a lot of frothy sea action there anyhow.  

Right now all this new poly is curing and I'll have to wait adding the wave making poly.  First though I have buy some acrylic paints for just in case and fix the antenna.

I'll wait with taking pictures after I have modeled the bow wave and some of the frothy stuff, oh yeah, testing first.  No sense in making more pics, nothing has changed that's different, so I better safe some pixels 

 

Cheers,

 

[cog]

7 hours ago, Piet said:

think that the froth action around the model will draw the attention more then waves. How to achieve that is also a concern.  The stuff I bought for that purpose is clear end the blue "sea" will certainly shine through it, which I don't want.  Frothy water is opaque and whitish looking.  I'll have to experiment with how to achieve that.  Perhaps tinting the "sea" in those areas white with an acrylic white wash that may give me the desired effect. 

Use white-ish paint for the froth, and let the blue shine through

[src]

Piet,

The sea is looking great! Well done. would something like this work for your white foam tints? https://bjbenterprises.com/index.php/pigments/

I have never tried them in polyester before but if you are interested we have both polyester resin and some of their tints at the shop, I could mix up a small batch.

Just a thought,

Sam

Edited May 1, 2018 by src

[Piet]

Thank you Carl for the input and yes, that's one of my tests I'll be doing. I bought some lighter blue acrylic artist paint and white at HobbyLobby.  Have had no time to devote on the trials, maybe tomorrow.

 

Good to see you here Sam and also my thanks for your input and generous offer.  I visited the website you provided the URL to, impressive stuff.  Kinda late in the game at this point though for the sea.  Now I wish I had known the existence of the BJB store but I have it bookmarked.  In addition to the acrylic paints I also bought a special white "stuff" for sea foam accents. Perhaps the same as acrylic white but hey, at this point I'll try anything that may give me the desired results.  Thanks for the complement in the sea Sam and yes, as already mentioned before in this log, it's also my first time using polyester.  So far I'm quite happy with the way it came out, just a tad too dark but then again with the tropical sun out in the early afternoon hours seawater does tend to be rather dark when looking down on it.  I'll keep you in mind for my next diorama, that 1:3000 scale Young America, maybe 2 table spoons for the sea

BTW, I peeked at your Enterprise build, impressive work Sam and blessings with your wedding.

 

I did manage to make a new antenna assembly and installed it to "Java" this afternoon.  Tomorrow I'll do some paint touch-ups on the hull where some of the poly sea stuff found its way to.  After that I'll start with the testing of the waves.

 

Cheers,

 

[popeye the sailor]

holy cow Piet........the sea came out looking great!   and you even managed to paint the deck a darker color.........my good man,   I am impressed!     check your gun barrels though......a couple of them looked a bit tweaked.   awaiting to see the white froth and water details.   congratz piet.......it worked very nicely!

[src]

Piet,

Yes both BJB and Silpak have some great stuff. I happen to prefer BJB as their technical help is superior in my opinion. Cant wait to see how you handle the white froth.

For the record those tints will break down in polyester without affecting cure. I had to know.

 

Sam

[Piet]

@ Lawrence: Yeah, I was wondering where you are, orders from the admiral eh what.  I'm looking forward joining you in the shipyard for the Oliver Cromwell build.

Thanks for the kudos on the sea.

 

@ Denis: Thank you too for your compliments and the observation on the guns. I'll check those tweaked barrels and see if I can untweak them without doing any damage. 

 

@ Sam: Regarding the tints breaking down, you mean that blue will fade?  If so, then I hope it wont be next month   Well, I can always put a coat of paint over it.  Thanks for your input on the BJB product line and their support. As I said before, I have bookmarked it for future use.

 

I have played around a little with the wave action and have come to the conclusion that I'll use the product made for it.  It's a clear polyester gel that can be manipulated with a water - wet brush as it cures.  Then accenting it with their highlighting product. The waves for the sea will be very small, more like long swells with here and there a small foamy break.  Better to keep it as simple as possible.

 

It'll be a while before I can get back to the build though.  Now that re-shingling of our roof is completed I have to make Gwen's flagstone path from the driveway and around the garage back to the side door.  I can only do this when we have a period of three days of no rain.  Next week looks promising. 

 

Cheers,

 

 

[CDW]

Stunningly beautiful work.