Barco Catalan by Gbmodeler - FINISHED - 1:48 Scale - Mediterranean Fishing Boat

[mtaylor]

29 minutes ago, wefalck said:

These kinds of weathering techniques are not often seen in our realm ...

Not in the wood world but very common in the plastic word from what I see here.

[Gbmodeler]

The waterline masked and upper hull ready for painting.  

[Gbmodeler]

After painting the base color on the upper hull, it was time to remove the tape and putty masking.  It all came off okay, but the putty was a problem on the inner bulwarks.  Although it lifted right off the deck, with no problems, it did not want to come off the sides.  There are four potential reasons it was so obstinate:

 

1.  The putty adheres to wood more than other types of material.  (Not likely, since the wood is painted and the deck is wood.  The deck was smooth and varnished, but not painted.  The putty came off the deck, easily).

2.  All the nooks and crannies of the ribs, and the rough surface of the bulwarks "held" the putty.  (This was probably a factor, but I think not the only one.  When I've used putty before, I noticed that recessed features can hold it a little tighter.  This time I wondered whether I'd be able to remove the putty at all!).

3.  The putty was applied to the bulwarks before the paint dried sufficiently, causing the putty to attach to the paint in a strong way.  (This seems very likely to me, but future experimentation is needed.  I also need to be more patient).

4.  The putty knew I was doing a build log and wanted to thwart me.  (This is the obvious answer)...

 

Except for the "scare" that I had ruined my model and would never get the putty off the bulwarks, the masking with the putty worked.  A little "touch-up" was needed on the bulwarks, but not much, and the deck was totally protected - which was the intent.

 

IMPORTANT HINTS:

 

Unless you are experienced with using a putty mask, try it on smooth, easy to access surfaces for starters.

 

Try NOT to use a "tool" to pry the putty off.  There is too much danger you will to gouge the surface, or pry off a small part.

 

Use your fingers and putty to pull off the putty, as shown below:

 

 

Obstinate putty!

 

 

Use putty to remove putty...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Base coat done.  Brush painting of the rails, trim, and other details comes next.  Then weathering!

[G.L.]

Gb, That was a very interesting post about the weathering below the waterline with salt. On the penultimate picture the salt grains look jus like barnacles.

Thanks to show us your technique.

[liteflight]

6 hours ago, Gbmodeler said:

4.  The putty knew I was doing a build log and wanted to thwart me.  (This is the obvious answer)..

I plump for reason 4 as the true cause of the putty’s intransigence.  It would follow naturally from Murphy’s Law.  It is a well known fact that model aircraft fly perfectly and endlessly until a stopwatch is started.

 

What sort of putty is this?  Is it the linseed based ‘glaziers‘ putty?

 
 

[liteflight]

Apologies- you had shown us clearly that it is silly putty on previous posts

 

Nice little boat, beautiful clean woodwork by you.

[wefalck]

This putty has some weird rheological properties. If you deform it slowly it act like a putty, when say form a ball and let it drop to the floor, it bounces off like a rubber ball, but when you hit it with a hammer, it crumbles away. Perhaps, when you try to pry it out of crevices with some instrument it thinks it has to become stiff and doesn't move ...

 

I think, I would have gone for some low-tack modeller's masking tape, such as that sold by Tamiya.

 

Anyway, she comes along nicely !

[Gbmodeler]

Thanks Liteflight and Wefalck!

[Gbmodeler]

Rails and trim painted!

[Gbmodeler]

I wanted to weather the model slightly, because a sparkling-clean fishing boat did not seem right to me.  The weathering process started with a black wash of artists' oil paint mixed with mineral spirits.  The diluted solution was brushed all over the model.  Since the model is painted with acrylics, the oil wash doesn't "attack" the acrylic base.  However, it can stain the acrylic, especially where surfaces are rough.  Therefore, I had first applied an acrylic gloss-coat all over the model.  A lot of - but not all - the excess wash can be removed after it dries, using a cotton swab dampened with mineral spirts.  I also use a clean cloth to wipe down the big areas.  The idea is to get the wash in all the cracks and crevices, to give definition to the finer details.  It also "dirties" the model with a grimy patina.

 

I'm satisfied with the overall effect, but think I can do better.  The interior (white) bulwarks didn't come out as well as I wanted.  I think the gloss coat didn't cover the area well enough, and too much staining occurred.  More experimentation is needed...

 

Also added a name "Eulalia" (patron Saint of Barcelona) using individual letter decals, and got started on building the mast out of a dowel.  The built-in pulley block at the top of the mast was fun to develop!

 

 

 

 

 

[wefalck]

If I may, a couple of suggestions:

 

- it's quite natural to have more dirt inside the difficult to clean areas around the bulwark

- you could always touch up the white paint inside the bulwark - this would have been done on the prototype as well

- I think the lettering sticks out a bit too much, it could be toned down with a washing of paint

- I use very dilute washes of burnt umber acrylics for wheathering, in this way you can build up the right level quickly and safely

 

At this scale you might want to fit a real sheave into the mast-top actually.

 

Still probably the best source (albeit in French) on the lateen-rig and its use is

 

VENCE, J. (1897): Construction & manœuvre des bateaux & embarcations à voilure latine.- 139 p., Paris (Augustin Challamel Editeur, reprint Editios Omega, Nice).

 

Not sure, whether there is a digital copy floating around the Internet.

[tkay11]

 

2 hours ago, wefalck said:

VENCE, J. (1897): Construction & manœuvre des bateaux & embarcations à voilure latine.- 139 p.

Not sure, whether there is a digital copy floating around the Internet.

It's available in two parts from Gallica in pdf format. As it's in the public domain it's quite legal and free. See http://www.plaisance-pratique.com/spip.php?page=imprimir_articulo&id_article=2863&lang=fr

 

Excellent resource for anyone approaching lateen boats. Thanks, wefalck!

 

Tony

[wefalck]

'Gallica' is the digital access system of the Bibliotthéque Nationale de France (BnF). There the link to the PDF is: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k11684265.r=vence voile latin?rk=64378;0. Everything the BnF puts out is public domaine.

 

I have a reprint, so I did not check before.

[Gbmodeler]

Thanks for comments and info Wefalck and tkay11!  Currently, my main source for rigging information is looking at old and contemporary photos of boats on the internet.

[Gbmodeler]

Wefalck, I really appreciate your insights and have a question about the acrylic washes you use for weathering.  With the oil wash, I can basically "wipe off" almost everything I put on, even after the wash dries.  That way, many mistakes or unsatisfactory areas can be easily altered.  How do you apply the acrylic washes so you get the final results you like?  

[wefalck]

As I work only with small-scale models, I don't need a lot of paint. For this reason I use nowadays almost always acrylics pre-diluted for airbrushing. Per volume/pigment, of course, they are relatively expensive. I just take a dab of the acrylics in a small glass dish and add a drop or several of water. This then apply to the model and distribute it quickly with a wet brush. While the paint is still liquid, you can suck it up with a tissue. However, once the paint is dry, it becomes waterproof. This happens quite fast, so that one can apply the next wash quite quickly.

 

One can, in principle, redissolve acrylics with acetone, but you may then attack all other layers of paint as well. So one has to do this with caution.

[Gbmodeler]

Set the mast today.  Had to use wedges...😄.  The rusty metal band on the bench is heavy construction paper with copper wire "rivets."

[Gbmodeler]

Rigging the rigging...  It has been a slow process; trying to determine what is needed, figuring out how to best do it, and the the actual doing.  Thanks to tkay11 and wefalck for information!  I have been translating French from VENCE, J. (1897): Construction & manœuvre des bateaux & embarcations à voilure latine.  It is full of info, but google translate does not understand maritime jargon too well...🤨

[tkay11]

 

 

11 hours ago, Gbmodeler said:

google translate does not understand maritime jargon too well

 

I don't suppose you're having any difficulty, but just in case you are not aware, there are lots of excellent resources on the web for French nautical terms, especially those made during the 19th century. Best to search through search engines based in France. I have built my own French-English dictionary (a work in progress as you can imagine) as a Word table which can be searched both ways (I also do a fair amount of translation). Let me know by PM if you want links or a copy of the table.

 

A very good printed version from Ancre is David Roberts' VOCABULAIRE DE MARINE bilingue anglais français which is €38, Even though this states it to be for the 18th Century, a good many terms carried on being used.

 

There are in addition some very udeful French dictionaries and encyclopaedias, but these are in French only.

 

Some examples of bilingual dictionaries:

 

A Naval and Military Technical Dictionary (French terms) 1842

 

Dictionnaire de la Marine Anglaise ROMME 1804

 

Vocabulaire des termes de marine anglais et francais, en deux parties 1797

 

Dictionnaire de marine [Chroniques de la Marine du Roi]

 

Glossaire marin ecomaris 2014

 

Falconer's French-English Dictionary 1780

 

Glossaire Maritime Wikipedia

 

I apologise if you are already fully aware of all this, but the info might be useful to others as well.

 

Tony

[wefalck]

The problem, however, is that these dictionaries do not cater very well for the vernacular terms associated with lateen-rigged craft. When I wrote an article for NEPTUNIA (in French) and the LOGBUCH (in German) about a special kind of lateen-rigged craft from the Albufera-region south of Valencia/Spain, I had to compile for myself a special glossary in Valenciano/Catalan - Castillano (Spanish) - French - English-German. The terms in French and Catalan/Valenciano are quite similar, but the Castillano (Spanish) terms can be rather different.

 

Another 'standard' dictionary is also PAASCH's 'From Keel to Truck', in its original edtion of 1885 comprising English, French and German. It was later enlarged to include also Spanish and Italian. However, it also not good on lateen-rigs. Not sure, whether there is a digital version of it.

 

On the Net you can also find:

 

ANONYM (1859): Dictionnaire universel théorique et pratique du commerce et de la navigation. Vol. I: A-G.- 1438 p., Paris (Guillaumin et Cie.).

ANONYM (1861): Dictionnaire universel théorique et pratique du commerce et de la navigation. Vol. II: H-Z.- 1828 p., Paris (Guillaumin et Cie.).

 

BONNEFOUX, P.-M.-J. DE, PÂRIS, E.F. (1859): Dictionnaire de Marine à Voiles et à Vapeur.- 2 Vols., 740+16 p., 17 pl., Paris (Artus Bertrand).

 

Lorenzo, J. de, Murga, G. de, Ferreiro, M. (1865): Diccionario Marítimo Español, que además de us voces de navegación y maniobra en los buques de vela, contiene las equivalencias en Francés, Inglés y Italiano, y las mas usadas buques de vapor, formado con presencia de los majores datos publicados hasta el día.- 576 p., Madrid (Establecimiento Tipográfico De T. Fortanet).

 

Reehorst, K.P. ter (1850): The Mariner's and Merchant's Polyglot Technical Dictonary. Upwards of Five Thousand Nautical, Steam, and Ship-Building Terms, Commercial and Scientific Expressions, in Ten Different Languages, English, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian, with a Precise Explanatory Key to the Pronunciation of These Languages, and a Comparative Table of the Money, Weights and Measures of Sea Ports.- 520 p., London (Williams and Norgate).

 

 

 

[Gbmodeler]

Thanks Tony (tkay11).  That was all good (and new) information for me!  I will definitely look for opportunities to expand my library...

[Gbmodeler]

Even more great info Wefalck!  I had no idea so much was available.  It really is mind-boggling!

 

[Gbmodeler]

Okay, spent today building a paper sail.  I am a student of Cathead, one of our members, and was really impressed with his paper sail tutorial in these forums ("A method for making panelled sails using paper", March 11, 2017)!  I used his techniques on my last project (French fishing boat), but I did not like the heavy bonded resume paper Cathead used.  Instead, I use something called "graphic marker paper."  It is thin, opaque paper, with some sort of coating, almost like a high quality tracing paper.  It is apparently made for artists who work with ink marker pens.  That makes it great for modeling, since it doesn't "bleed," yet it absorbs glue well, accepts paint, and appears fairly tough.

 

After my last build, I was struck with the idea of inserting wire along the edge of the sails, to facilitate shaping them to appear as if they were billowing in the wind.  I'm trying out my ideas on this project...

 

 

This is the paper I acquired some years ago for building ships in bottles...

 

 

A sail ala Cathead... made of overlapping panels glued with white glue.  The overlap here is about 1mm...  I steam-iron the results between two paper towels.  That creates the wonderful "bubbling" affect you see here...

 

Lines for rigging the sails are glued to the edge...

 

 

Trim pieces cover the lines...

 

 

So...I tried 28 gauge annealed steel wire on two edges, instead of model ropes, and covered them with trim...

 

 

Not done yet!   Just testing the fit.  I hope to get a billowing effect  when the sails are finally set up.  You can see the curve on the bottom.  Wire is on the right side, and bottom of the sail...

 

Anybody know if the sails should be clay impregnated "red" or just dirty white - for a Spanish boat?  I think white...

[Louie da fly]

I haven't been looking at this build for a while. Your progress is very impressive, and the boat just keeps getting more and more beautiful.

 

And I think I'll steal your idea for the sail!

[wefalck]

The sail is looking good. I have used the technique of making sails from individual panels and with re-enforcements attached for many years with silk-paper and silk-span fabric (soaked in paint). That paper you are using looks interesting and I have to see, whether something like this is available over here in Europe. It says 13.5 lb on it, but per what ? Here we normally gauge paper in grammes per square metre.

 

I don't think mediterranean sails were ever  'tanned'. No real need for it, as it is sunny and dry for most of the year, so that sails would dry quickly and don't need to be stored wet. Neither do they freeze. However, in some regions they did paint their sails, for decorative reasons, but also for apotropeic ones, i.e. to protect against evil with religious or magic symbols.

 

Rather than using a single wire, you could also use twisted (copper) wire and paint it suitably. Another option would be to fiddle a stiff molybdenum or steel piano-wire through the centre of a rope.

[Gbmodeler]

Thanks Louie da fly!  Don't forget to find Catheads excellent tutorial on making sails, here in the forum...

[Gbmodeler]

Thanks for the sail info Wefalck!   Almost all the historic photos and art paintings I could find on the internet from the late 1800s show white sails on mediterranean boats, with occasional exceptions, so you have confirmed my suspicions. Thanks!

 

I did a little research on paper weights in the US, and grams per meter (GMS) is far superior.  I say that because pounds are based on the weight of 500 sheets.  However, the "standard" size of a sheet varies by the type of paper.  For example, standard printer paper (20 pound) comes in 8.5x11 inch sheets when you buy it, but for "weight" purposes a sheet is 17x22 inches!  Other types of paper have different sheet sizes for weight purposes!!!  Seems like there is no way to compare between different types of paper unless you use GSM or have deep knowledge of the paper industry...

[wefalck]

I think this paper is sold over here also as 'layout-paper' and seems to have 75 g/m^2 regardless of manufacturer. As there are six A4 sheets (the same size more or less as yours), one sheet weighs 12.5 g. On the other hand taking 13.5 lb x 450 g/lb = 6075 g for 500 sheets works out 12,15 g per sheet. So we seem to talk about the same kind of material, more or less. It has an interesting texture and properties, but may be rather heavy for my own purposes.

[tkay11]

In the uk layout paper can be anything from 40gsm upwards.

 

Tony

[Gbmodeler]

Continued working on the sail, and getting ready to hoist it.  Here, the reef line panel and reinforced corners were added:
 

 

Coloring began using powdered artist pigments.  

 

I applied the pigment with a small brush, working along the panels lines and "flicking" the powder into the seam...

 

Then I shook off the excess powder.  It's really messy stuff and can get everywhere.  I constantly checked the back side of the sail to make sure no powder was going astray, and blew off any interlopers.  I was also constantly cleaning the work space (a clean sheet of regular paper) for unwanted globs of powder that might stain parts of the sail before I was ready... 

 

Next, using a make-up brush, I gently smoothed the powder into the paper.  You have to be very careful not to accidentally crease or fold the paper with your rubbing actions.  If you do, they are impossible to repair.  I make sure I'm holding the sail down firmly...

 

First side done...

 

Test fitting the colored sail...