semi-gloss varnish on veneer wooden deck choice?

[Frank Burroughs]

Is spraying the deck after attaching it to the plastic deck better than brushing on by much?

Which semi-gloss varnish is preferred?

[Scottish Guy]

I always sprayed the parts before attaching them, so I would spray a deck before attaching it to the hull, means some points you might have to sand again to have a rough surface to give the glue some grip but that`s how I did it with all my space ships. ABout the colour, I prefer matte instead of gloss. Especially with wood I would use matte, never have seen shiny wood to be honest.

 

But that is just my humble opinion.

 

Micha

[Jaager]

Shellac using a piece of a worn out tee shirt.  One coat for a flat Age of Sail deck.  More coats, more gloss.

[Keith Black]

 Frank, I use Minwax satin polyurethane. Using CA I can glue directly to a polyurethane treated surface without issue. Polyurethane is disparaged by the old schoolers but it's got a lot going for it, IMHO. As always, experiment thus making sure it works for YOU. 

[Gregory]

13 hours ago, Scottish Guy said:

……never have seen shiny wood to be honest.

 

But that is just my humble opinion.

 

Micha

I have seen any number of species, that when sanded with 400 or finer, then buffed with felt, develop a shine not unlike gloss varnish.

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   To prevent dust, etc. from getting into the fibers of wood decking (exposed horizontally, ergo more vulnerable) over time, I'd only used a single brushed application (sparing) of 'blond' (clear) shellac - or perhaps anywhere from a 1:1 to 1:2 parts 'amber' to clear shellac mix (as desired - experiment first for color).  If any fibers are raised, a very light touch with 600 grit paper will do.  I happen to like shellac, and denatured alcohol is the solvent.  But flat or semi gloss varnish (if not overused) also works.

 

  Any additional shellac might produce a 'shiny' finish (but even that can be tempered with 320 grit paper).  Note that you won't be able to glue anything to the deck after that (except with CA, but the joint may be weak).  Metal eyes needed on the deck should be assembled through the deck before mounting, with the ends of the eyes bent under the deck and epoxied.  Fife rails should have extra wood glued under the deck where they go, so holes can be drilled from above to insure a strong glue joint.  There are few things as frustrating as weakly attached fife rails that pop-off after a model is finished.

[Keith Black]

56 minutes ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

Metal eyes needed on the deck should be assembled through the deck before mounting, with the ends of the eyes bent under the deck and epoxied

 Johnny, I use CA to glue eyes to the deck. I drill the hole a tad larger than than the eye, place CA gel on the eye shank, place in hole, and then add a tad bit of regular CA around the shank. I've had to remove eyes because of putting them in the wrong place and played billy goat heck getting them out pulling on the eye with pliers. They don't come out willingly.  

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

   'Never thought of that - another good technique to have in one's 'toolbox'