Mast coating on colonial vessel

[Charlie pal]

Hello all, hope all are well,

    I am currently building the colonial model “Black Prince”. 
struggling through my mistakes, but am hanging in there. Just finished tapering the masts and bowsprit. Not sure what coating to apply to these, but am leaning toward walnut stain.

Any opinions appreciated.…thanks…Charlie p

[Dr PR]

There is very little information about how masts were painted/coated in colonial America (or anywhere else for that matter).

 

I have seen one reference saying that masts were painted - Nelson ordered rope wooldings and metal mast hoops around masts to be painted the same color as the masts to help distinguishing British ships from French ships at Trafalgar. So the Brits must have been painting their masts. Unfortunately, the reference didn't say what color the masts were painted.

 

However you can bet the masts and spars were coated with something to prevent rot from exposure to water. And whatever coating was used it had to be something common and cheap. Other than that it was probably painted according to the ship owner's or Captain's preference. So it could be anything or any color.

 

Mast tops, spars and bowsprits were often colored black in the late 1700s and early 1800s, probably because black paint was also used on the hulls. In the mid 1800s tops were often painted white - again because white paint on the hull came into fashion about that time.

 

I have seen a reference that early American masts were painted straw color, and I have used that on my model of an early 1800s American schooner, with black tops.

 

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/19611-albatros-by-dr-pr-mantua-scale-148-revenue-cutter-kitbash-about-1815/?do=findComment&comment=930171

 

I coated the masts and bowsprit with shellac to seal the wood and then used acrylic paint over that.

Edited May 22, 2023 by Dr PR

[wefalck]

The default options on virtually every piece of wood would be wood-tar or lineseed oil, a procedure that would be repeated every now and then. On a model shellac solution or a wood-filler would do the job.

 

Typically masts were made from some species of pine and therefore would have a quite light colour that changes into something like a honey colour, once the wood-tar or lineseed oil has been applied.

 

Mast on which gaffs are sliding up and down probably were left natural (but preserved with tar or oil), as the gaff would wear off the paint quickly.

 

Otherwise, as Phil explained, colours were subject to fashion and spars could be quite colourful in some ages and regions.

 

[Charlie pal]

Thank you all for your knowledgeable information. Question…..when I was very young , people would use shellac in various applications. You rarely hear people that use it today. As a former sailboat owner, I had used varnishes, polyurethane, stains and oils……but what exactly is shellac?

 

[VitusBering]

Shellac is an insect gland secretion. It isn't harvested directly from the bug, the females leave a trail of it in the bark of the trees where they live.

 

It has lots of uses. It is edible, incredibly, and is used to glaze pharmaceuticals and even pastries. It is used in electrical insulation and literally hundreds of other applications including, of course, wood finishing. Its performance as a wood finish is inferior to polyurethane or other synthetic finishes but aesthetically it is gorgeous in my opinion, rivaling linseed.

 

[wefalck]

Shellac lost its popularity as furniture finishing because on such surfaces one can easily leave water- and alcohol-staines - in fact acohol is the solvent during application and it can be easily re-dissolved in this. Unlike certain other surface finishes it does not harden by e.g. cross-linking reactions, but simply by the evaporation of the solvent.

 

However, it makes an excellent surface treatment or adhesive for models. You can use it to kind of 'harden' the wood by rubbing off most of it with steel-wool, achieving a sort of bare wood look, or a classical high-gloss 'French Polish'.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

9 hours ago, VitusBering said:

Shellac is an insect gland secretion. It isn't harvested directly from the bug, the females leave a trail of it in the bark of the trees where they live.

 

It has lots of uses. It is edible, incredibly, and is used to glaze pharmaceuticals and even pastries. It is used in electrical insulation and literally hundreds of other applications including, of course, wood finishing. Its performance as a wood finish is inferior to polyurethane or other synthetic finishes but aesthetically it is gorgeous in my opinion, rivaling linseed.

 

  I've finished furniture made of 'colored' wood (e.g. mahogany or black walnut) by lightly applying 50/50 'boiled' linseed oil/turpentine and allowing it to cure a few days with intermittent burnishing with a soft cloth - then applying shellac to whatever degree desired, whether a single sealcoat or a gradual buildup of layers.  The oil treatment will enhance (deepen) the color and the shellac (whether clear or amber) is compatible if applied over the oil once its had a chance to fully absorb and dry into the wood.

 

  When furniture is to be painted with oil-based paint, shellac can be used as a 'spit coat' to bond any loose wood fibers and is lightly sanded before applying the paint.