Paddleducks
Old Yahoo Group => Yahoo Messages => Topic started by: margandkim on June 22, 2005, 02:19:45 AM
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What type of paint or stain can I use on decks or pilot house that
will remain a natural wood finish? How would these be applied? I'm
going with flat finishes throughout the model.
Thanks
Kim
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Hi Kim:
Some of the new generation water based polyurethane acrylic finishes
are really good. They dry quickly, are non-toxic, sand easily and
are recoatable in short order. A satin finish gives a pleasing
appearance to most brightwork, although a high gloss is acceptable on
classic pleasure vessels and yachts. A totally flat finish tends to
cloud the grain. Some model makers still use the old "Spar Varnish"
which is the traditional "yacht finish" on real ships, but this is is
high gloss and takes an age to dry, has to be thinned, and needs
quite a few coats! The new quick drying acrylics are preferable for
models.
Spray cans are available for some of these new acrylic finishes,
although brushing always seems to give a more natural look on a
model. If you're brushing, you need to get the right consistency of
varnish, and thinning is important since clear finishes are often too
thick straight out of the can. Another "trick" is to warm the
varnish up before applying as this tends to make it "flow-out"
better. This is done by placing the can in a container of warm water
(NEVER over an open heat source!). Correct sanding between coats is
important to achieve a pleasing finish and generally coats should be
sanded progressively up to 600 grit tri-mite paper. Very high gloss
show finishes require wet sanding with a 1200 or even a 1500 finish
but its not often done in model ship finishes as it ends up looking
too perfect and a little unnnatural! And, of course remember that
more thin coats are better than fewer thick coats! A point to
remember is that working boats really didnt favour showy wood
finishes as they were hard to maintain and most wood was painted. A
model of a working vessel with lots of brightwork always strikes me
as strange!
Good luck and do let us know how you get on. We'd love to hear a
little more about your model...even if it's not a paddler!
Regards
PJ
Victoria, BC Canada