What wood is this? (Royal Louis 2nd planking)

[Ulises Victoria]

I will really appreciate someone tell me what wood this is. 

 

It is used in my Mamoli Royal Louis to second plank the hull in the area below the main whales. Previous builders of this kit may have a clue???

Information in the kit is very confusing. In some places it says it is walnut and another some strange names. I'm sure walnut it is not!

 

If not certain, at least tell me please a close match. I am a bit worried that the material included in my kit will not be enough to finish the intended plank job, as some other people has said already. So I want to buy if not exactly, at least a batch of a close match. I'm sure a few planks scattered in a different shade will not look bad. It may be the opposite.

 

Thanks in advance for any input .

 

Ulises

 

 

Edited September 4, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[marktiedens]

Hello Ulises

 

I looked at my Royal Louis & I`m afraid I can`t tell for sure what it is. I don`t have my plans or instructions any more but I think it is what THEY call walnut.It looks very similar to the "walnut" that Mantua uses. I think I did have enough to do the planking below the whales - it was the lighter colored wood between the whales that I was short on.I think they called it boxwood.Sorry I can`t be of more help.It seems like in European kits the 'walnut" can range from a honey color to a very dark brown or almost gray - sometimes all on the same plank.

 

/Mark

Edited September 4, 2014 by marktiedens

[Ulises Victoria]

Wow. Thanks guys. I have a few walnut blanks I use to turn pens, and that wood is a lot darker.

Will keep checking. Thanks again.

[mtaylor]

Ulises,

 

Is the wood flexible in all directions?  It almost looks like beech.  I read somewhere that what certain manufacturers call their woods has nothing to do with what the wood actually is.  Can you post a bigger picture or a close up?

 

Hmm..  go here and click on wood samples:  http://www.dlumberyard.com/wood.html  Also here: http://www.wood-database.com/  Lastly, there is here... check the "domestic" and "exotic".   

 

Good luck.  

[uss frolick]

Arborus Nonspecificus.

[edmay]

Hello Ulises,I also have the same kit (not started)I had a close look and agree with Brian and Aussie048,walnut it is,the same code table is in my kit also,hope that helped.Edwin

[mtaylor]

Mark, Beech is pink with brown speckles and very bendy. That material is walnut.

 

Hmm...  the beech I have is a brown not pink.  Different genus maybe?   I do have some walnut that looks his wood but there's something different about it...  I can't put my finger on it.  Again, it could be walnut specific to certain regions.

[Ulises Victoria]

Mark. Here are some closer photos.

Also, comparing the piece of wood with the sheet of paper included in the kit with different colors, the wood looks close to what they call "Beach wood" which I think they mean beech wood.

Unfortunately my photographic skills are not top notch and the color in the photos may not be very accurate.

I'm still confused.

 

Thanks all for your input.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[marktiedens]

I would think that beech would be way too expensive to put in a kit for hull planking - it would take many strips on a ship this size.Try putting a little polyurethane on a small piece - beech will hardly change color but walnut will noticeably darken.

 

/Mark

[mtaylor]

The other Mark has a good idea.  The walnut and beech I have are pretty close in color.  The beech is way more flexible.

[themadchemist]

Just a brief note on the variance of Walnut.

I have purchased both American Walnut and Peruvian Walnut (at least that's what they were called and both are much darker then your piece appears Ulises. The Peruvian is a lot darker then the American, that I have. I've seen others use (Ferit's Berlin comes to mind) what is called African Walnut, which looks this lighter color in pictures. I'd have some but haven't found a source so I can compare.

Not much help, I know, but I've seen huge variation in color of walnuts depending on their origins/variety/species, plus trees of the same species can vary from tree to tree depending on soil conditions and many other factors.

 

My guess is thats its a variation of Walnut, I'd guess African Walnut, but that's a guess.

It also reminds me of what I've seen other uses called tanganyika (I think that's the spelling) but I've never seen that wood so that's a guess.

 

Wood matching is a tough thing after the fact, even if you know what you have.

[amateur]

 

The woodshown is what italians call walnut.

I have the same stuf in my prinswillem kit. The strange thing isthat in proper strips, the wood called walnut has amuch,much closer grain, and is qlso slightly differently colloured.

What the italian kitmakers call beach definitely has a punkish glos (especially the heat treted, flexible versionof it. )

Jan

[Ulises Victoria]

Might try emailing the manufacturer. 

Thank you all.

 

I may be too skeptic, but I have never heard of somebody receiving an answer from any manufacturer of ship kits. 

[dgbot]

Many years ago one our my fellow club members went to Italy and visited the plant.  Mamoli and Mantua same parts.  He showed a video of his visit.  The use a sheer to cut their strips. The take several sheets of veneer into it and then cut the strips to width.  Many times the wood is still very green.  They do not have very good quality control.  A a result their wood will be different colors or not to good.

David B

[Bill Hime]

Just to throw one more thought at this discussion, walnut varies more in color and grain than just about any other wood out there. Walnut has changed over the years because old growth naturally forested trees are hard to find in large numbers. Most walnut today is harvested from tree farming, smaller trees that have grown faster and thus have lower tannin levels which affects color and consistency.

The stain test was a great suggestion, especially against beech. I'm pretty comfortable calling the wood you have walnut. There are some African and South American species that look very similar to walnut but would be too expensive to put in a kit.

 

If you're not sure you have enough, buy more, group them into shades, when planking, pull from each group one at a time. this way you will not have patchy areas that stand out. I will be quite uniform and technically accurate to what would happen in the shipyard where thousands of square feet of lumber would all have to be used

 

Warm Regards,

 

Bill

Edited September 10, 2014 by Bill Hime

[Ulises Victoria]

Very sound advise, Bill. I thank you!

[Chasseur]

I would concur definitely walnut and It looks exactly like the walnut that comes with most Mamoli kits including my Constitution kit. Your wood looks seasoned and quit dry. Aussie is bang on!

 

Jeff

[Richard Griffith]

Ulises, your carving skills are superb and way above mine, which leads me to comment on this walnut selection.  Walnut has an open grain which detracts from the model appearance, especially in the smaller scales.  Even in the quarter inch scale, this open grain can still look poor.  Many modelers have used this walnut to good affect however, but if you want your carvings to have a home on a first class hull, I recommend you use a better species of wood, one that has a closed grain. 

 

If you are not adding your own carvings to this build, then Bill's advice above is sound.  You are the artist so you decide what looks best.

 

Duff

[Ulises Victoria]

I thank you for your words Duff, but where did you see my carvings? I haven't carved a thing in my life, unless there is another meaning to the word "carving" that I   don´t know? 

Edited September 10, 2014 by Ulises Victoria