hull finishing

[serpe]

I don't know if this is the correct space for my question. I'm sure the moderator will correct me. I am moving on to my new build of the HMB beagle. I am thinking of using the brass nails that come with kit to nail the final planking. I would pre drill to avoid splitting on the ends. They would be driven in, cut, tapped flush and sanded smooth. I would use some tung oil to even out the colour variations of the wood. My vision is to highlight the hull a bit while doing some painting and varnishing of deck fixtures etc a minimalist build. The rest of the ship such as masts and rigging etc would be as you would expect. I would like some feed back as to what you think of my plan.

[JacquesCousteau]

Sounds like an interesting plan! You may want to consider using wooden treenails, instead, as they can be made in scale and are more accurate than brass. Searching a bit on this site should bring up lots of examples and instructions.

[Dr PR]

serpe,

 

What do you want to achieve with your model?

[wefalck]

... exactly - this would be a sort of 'artisanal' model finish and not a realistic representation. On real ships neither brass nails nor varnish were used at that time.

[CPDDET]

It's your model and there are no rules to adhere to on this site. Do what brings you pleasure 

[serpe]

I was wondering if British ships of this era were built with English oak or did they import and what colour would it have been. My other thought was to plank the hull with unfinished oak and wooden nails. I can purchase plenty of round wooden toothpicks from the dollar store. Drive one in snip it off and use the other end. I know that most ship kits use walnut etc for the second planking which isn't correct but makes them look pretty, but for this build my vision is a combination of planking at the slipway before any final finish and a more completed finish for deck items, trim and masts etc. Kind of a combination of both.

[wefalck]

As has been discussed at various places around the forum, ships were built from a variety of wood species, preferably oak for structural parts (keel, stems, frames) and planking below the waterline. Other species included elm, beech, pine and fir. The latter two were mainly used for decks, spars, planking above the waterline (probably only in merchant ships), etc. 

 

All wood on board was treated, with the exception of decks. Depending on the location and purpose pine-tar ('Stockholm tar'), coal-tar (after the 1840s) or lineseed-oil was used. Before sheathing with copper or zinc became common for ships going below a certain parallel, the underwater hulls were treated with a variety of concoctions meant to discourage fouling and attacks by Terredo navalis. In domestic waters, ships were given only a coating of heavy tar. The linesee-oil may have been mixed with different pigments (chalk, yellow and red ochre, soot) to create paints for deocarative purposes, but also for added protection against UV radiation (which as such was not really understood then).

 

Practices would have differed across the regions and evolved over time.