Faux nailing

[Captain Al]

My instructions for the deck planking recommend using a sharp #4 pencil to "simulate the nailing."  I don't know why this seems kindof mickey mouse to me, but it does.  Is there any other way?  Only other way I can think of is to poke tiny holes and then fill and sand, using a darker wood filler than the light Ramin wood of the planks.  More work but not that much more.  Any comments/suggestions/experiences?

[Ulises Victoria]

I drill holes and then stick round toothpicks which points I have previously dipped in wood glue, so I get 2 treenails per toothpick. A big waste but since they are so cheap, doesn't really matter. I have used the filling with filler and sanding method in my hull's nailing with fair success. (See my Vasa log, if you like).

What's good in both methods, is that the size of the "nail" (which isn't actually a nail in the real ship, but a plug) is determined by the size of the drill you use.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[augie]

Ulises has detailed the toothpick method quite nicely.  If you'd like to see the 'drill and fill' method with a brief description, see my Confederacy log (just click the link in my signature). It's on page 50, right near the last entries.  Both methods give you more flexibility then the 'pencil point' method you describe.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Augie

[NMBROOK]

I have used both methods on my current build,both are great although you can only go so small with the hole using the cocktail stick method without having to sharpen the ends.The pencil method will always look like what it is,pencil.

 

Kind Regards Nigel

[Captain Al]

Good answers; thanks much.  I suspected this pencil method was less than ideal.  I don't like the smear factor either.  I'll be using the drill and fill probably but the toothpick method is also pretty realistic.  Thanks again.

[clloyd]

Depending on how subtle you want to be, you can also take a hypodermic needle of appropriate gauge, grind the angle off it, and "stamp" a circle on the end of the planks.  The indent on the wood will be visible, but the effect is a lot more subtle than the drill and fill method.

 

Colin

[Ulises Victoria]

Depending on how subtle you want to be, you can also take a hypodermic needle of appropriate gauge, grind the angle off it, and "stamp" a circle on the end of the planks.  The indent on the wood will be visible, but the effect is a lot more subtle than the drill and fill method.

 

Colin

Aaaahhh! How nice tip!!! It sounds like better and quicker!!!! Thank you Colin.

[Captain Al]

Don't know where to get a hypo needle so I think I will go with the drill and fill method. My question now though is what diameter bit/hole to put in. I'm calculating that with a 1:48 scale model and 5 mm planking, the actual Bounty must have had planks of around 240mm or 9.5 inches. They would probably have used two pegs in parallel per each plank along the length of the plank. Here's where I'm guessing -- I would figure the pegs would need to be around 1 inch or 25mm in diameter. If all the scaling were done for all the parts of the ship model, this would mean a diameter of .5 mm or .02 inches (or 1.3/64ths). Is this reasoning close to correct? How are these mini bits sized? In mm or fractions of an inch? Or, I've seen them numbered like a 60 or 80 bit. What do those numbers mean?

[Captain Al]

Found a drill size chart on the web which showed that a .5mm bit would be a #76 (which is actually .02 inches).

So I just need now to know if my estimate of actual real life size is somewhat close.

[Dan Vadas]

Al, your estimate is exactly right.

 

I treenailed the entire planked port side of my HMS Vulture, inside and out including three decks, using bamboo pulled through a Drawplate - a total of around 15,000 "nails".

 

  Danny

[Captain Al]

Thank you much Dan. I also want to thank you for your contributions to this site ... you do beautiful work and what you pass on to others like me is invaluable. Without this resource I'd be floundering.

[Ulises Victoria]

Don't know where to get a hypo needle 

I don't know in your location, but here we get those needles in syringes at the drugstores with no hassle.

I'm definitely trying this tip in my next build

Edited January 10, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[Captain Al]

I'll inquire but we have a needle problem as it is so its hard for me to imagine them selling them over the counter in drug stores.  Thanks for the tip though.

[clloyd]

If you want to see the effect look at the wales of my pandora (link in sig)

The photo's don't quite catch the effect.  Trial on scrap first to see if you like it.

I tried this out as I knew that in a properly sanded hull, real trenails (like dannys') aren't visible under paint.  My hull is pretty much going to be mostly painted.

 

Colin

[mtaylor]

Captain Al,

Not sure where you are, but in the States you can get them over the counter at a pharmacy.  Over the years, I've bought the insulin syringes (and needles) for such things as fishing (putting air in worms... long story), dispensing glue, and other such sundry tasks.   They come in various sizes so do some research (Google is your friend) first.

[augie]

Here's a drill bit conversion chart in inches.  For my 1:64 scale, I used a #74 bit for the treenails.  You would probably want to go a bit larger (70,71) for a 1:48.  Always test on a piece of scrap timber before you commit to the model itself.

 

http://www.gearhob.com/eng/design/drill_eng.htm

[Captain Al]

Colin, I assume you've done this syringe method so you must know about needles.  I think I can get some on line.  What size would you use to make a .5 mm circle?
 

[clloyd]

Captain Al,,

 

Size chart here... http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/chemistry/stockroom-reagents/learning-center/technical-library/needle-gauge-chart.html

 

a #21 needle has in inner diameter of 0.5.  Outer diam is about .8

 

Further points from experience.  Do it before your final sanding.  If you have a wood that is at all soft then go gently, as it is possible to take plugs out.  They don't look too different so it wasn't an issue for me.  Definitely trial first on scrap. Make sure you like the effect.

 

I'm a bit lucky that I work closely with a couple of GPs, and am allowed to just wander into the storage area and source materials. 

 

Colin

[HIPEXEC]

A sharp 32 pencil did the trick for me. I even had an experienced model builder think I actually nailed the planks.