Deck Planking and Finish

[7ED]

Hello! I am a new modeller working my way through the Occre Santisima Trinidad. I have just finished planking the first of the 4 decks. Theres a couple problems I would love some advice for from some veterans:

1. There are some glue stains on the decks. I have been trying to sand them down, but that jsut leaves a ton of dust that clings to the deck that I have been having mixed success wiping off. How do you get all your decks to look clean and even? And if its sanding, how do you clean off all the dust after?

2. I intend to leave most of the model unpainted, especially not the decks. How do you guys protect the model? I hear polyurethane of some sort. If so--what kind of polyurethane? I want it to look realistic--like an actual ship deck, and not covered in some sort of glossy coating.

3. For the future--I intend to customize the stern to make it at least slightly more historically authentic than the awful stern plate that came with the kit and have been looking through all the build logs on here. I am sure at some point I will have so, so many more questions once I get to that stage!

Thank you!

 

[bandido]

Hello! I am a new modeller working my way through the Occre Santisima Trinidad. I have just finished planking the first of the 4 decks. Theres a couple problems I would love some advice for from some veterans:

1. There are some glue stains on the decks. I have been trying to sand them down, but that jsut leaves a ton of dust that clings to the deck that I have been having mixed success wiping off. How do you get all your decks to look clean and even? And if its sanding, how do you clean off all the dust after?

2. I intend to leave most of the model unpainted, especially not the decks. How do you guys protect the model? I hear polyurethane of some sort. If so--what kind of polyurethane? I want it to look realistic--like an actual ship deck, and not covered in some sort of glossy coating.

3. For the future--I intend to customize the stern to make it at least slightly more historically authentic than the awful stern plate that came with the kit and have been looking through all the build logs on here. I am sure at some point I will have so, so many more questions once I get to that stage!

Thank you!

For coatings I use Vallejo Polyurethane Varnish "Matt finish " The glue residue The only way I remove the glue and that does depend on what kind of glue you are talking about but i usually have to block sand the surface to remove and keep the surface flat. the dust it creates I use my airbrush to blow off the dust and then wipe down with alcohol using a brush and whatever I else works to thoroughly clean the surface. Ther are probably other ways better than my approach the members will help

 

[Jimsky]

Welcome aboard SOS! I am sure others will add some suggestions as well.

1. A usually scrape the deck planking. I use wood scrapers, but a brand new sheetrock blade will also suit this job.
2. As for the finish, we have many options. One of those oil (is Danish, Tang, or Linseed). Oil required some knowledge and taking time to dry between the coats. Many modelers use Wipe-On Poly, this is less time-consuming and good protestant as well.

Please check our articles below

Paint Colors, Stains and Wood Finishes

Discuss authentic Paint colors, Stains, and Schemes for different ships and Periods. What color did they really use? Did you mix your own? Discuss brands such as Model Masters, Testors, and others.

shipsofscale.com

 

[bandido]

Welcome aboard SOS! I am sure others will add some suggestions as well.

1. A usually scrape the deck planking. I use wood scrapers, but a brand new sheetrock blade will also suit this job.
2. As for the finish, we have many options. One of those oil (is Danish, Tang, or Linseed). Oil required some knowledge and taking time to dry between the coats. Many modelers use Wipe-On Poly, this is less time-consuming and good protestant as well.

Please check our articles below

Paint Colors, Stains and Wood Finishes

Discuss authentic Paint colors, Stains, and Schemes for different ships and Periods. What color did they really use? Did you mix your own? Discuss brands such as Model Masters, Testors, and others.

shipsofscale.com

Jemsky!! You are right scraping will work, with no sanding, I just learned something that will be very helpful on my next ship. never thought about doing that!

 

[7ED]

Thank you for the tips! Does anyone have a view as to polyurethane vs. tung oil? I read Jimsky's post on various oils. The post seemed pretty skeptical of tung oil (and linseed also). From Jimsky: "Of the four types of "oil," two can be eliminated from consideration: straight oil and polymerized oil. Neither of the two straight oils-linseed oil or tung oil-performs well, so it would be rare that you would want to use one of these. Polymerized oil performs well, but it is expensive, is not widely available, and offers no advantage over wiping varnish (with the possible exception of an unthinned variety used on small objects such as gunstocks because it cures so quickly). That leaves oil/varnish blend and wiping varnish."

But Tung oil seems extremely popular based on my google searching. I am inclined to just use polyurethane with the matte finish as Bandido suggests, but I am also worried about yellowing and cracking--i hear the polyurethane does not move with the wood as it changes with time.

 

[syhobbs]

I have used traditional dewaxed shellac on all my models and recommend it highly.

 

[Tom Hoffmann]

I "hear" that alcohol wipes will take care of the dust.

 

[danielsje]

I use clear matte polyurethane on all of my model builds. I use it as I build the model to seal wood parts. My current go to poly is MinWax water based matte finish. I have used this exclusively for five years now. I have not seen any issue on my older models concerning discoloring, cracking, or any other finish problems. Looks as pristine today as when applied five years ago.

 

[MikeC]

I only use MinWax Golden Oak stain touch up pens. Usually before I plank the decks. I scribe in the planking lines and butts with a fairly hard mechanical pencil — 0.5 mm. If I sand through the stain I just apply more. Sweep dust off with an acid brush. I think this procedure gives a natural looking, real wood working deck. No further coatings. Natural non skid. Vessels decks were kept bare and sanded as needed. Many turned silver out in the sun and salt water.

 

[MartinJel]

I may be terribly old-fashioned...but I've used Testors Dull Cote clear flat lacquer on decks. Several coats with light sanding between.

 

[Van]

I'm a complete beginner a ship modeling. But for some time I've made furniture and learned a little about finishes. If you decide to use "tung oil" be aware that there are many products called tung oil that have no tung oil or have tung oil mixed with other ingredients. Here are a couple of web addresses...

finish expert on tung oil - Yahoo Video Search Results

The search engine that helps you find exactly what you're looking for. Find the most relevant information, video, images, and answers from all across the Web.

video.search.yahoo.com

Tung oil: Types, Uses and Tung oil vs linseed oil vs Teak oil - Oils 360

How to identify pure Tung oil

oils360.com

And there are many more out there if you want to get into that type of finish.

 

[peter6172]

Thank you for the tips! Does anyone have a view as to polyurethane vs. tung oil? I read Jimsky's post on various oils. The post seemed pretty skeptical of tung oil (and linseed also). From Jimsky: "Of the four types of "oil," two can be eliminated from consideration: straight oil and polymerized oil. Neither of the two straight oils-linseed oil or tung oil-performs well, so it would be rare that you would want to use one of these. Polymerized oil performs well, but it is expensive, is not widely available, and offers no advantage over wiping varnish (with the possible exception of an unthinned variety used on small objects such as gunstocks because it cures so quickly). That leaves oil/varnish blend and wiping varnish."

But Tung oil seems extremely popular based on my google searching. I am inclined to just use polyurethane with the matte finish as Bandido suggests, but I am also worried about yellowing and cracking--i hear the polyurethane does not move with the wood as it changes with time.

I use sanding sealer, and after sanding, stain to desired colour (if required) then a clear flat finish using Feast Watson brand for all three. I now have made up Shellac and have been using it after sanding sealer on my lower decks. This provides more of a satin rather than dead flat finish.

 

[Luiz B. F. Grassi]

I've been using scraping blade and #400 to #600 sandpaper. Then , clean with alcohol and apply matte poliorethane with coloring addition, if necessary.
The most important thing is that you verify the final result by doing tests, before applying it to your model deck. Each type of wood used shows different results depending on the size of the wood fiber. The final look must always be in line with scale you are working on. Good work !

 

[18Lyman]

Thank you for the tips! Does anyone have a view as to polyurethane vs. tung oil? I read Jimsky's post on various oils. The post seemed pretty skeptical of tung oil (and linseed also). From Jimsky: "Of the four types of "oil," two can be eliminated from consideration: straight oil and polymerized oil. Neither of the two straight oils-linseed oil or tung oil-performs well, so it would be rare that you would want to use one of these. Polymerized oil performs well, but it is expensive, is not widely available, and offers no advantage over wiping varnish (with the possible exception of an unthinned variety used on small objects such as gunstocks because it cures so quickly). That leaves oil/varnish blend and wiping varnish."

But Tung oil seems extremely popular based on my google searching. I am inclined to just use polyurethane with the matte finish as Bandido suggests, but I am also worried about yellowing and cracking--i hear the polyurethane does not move with the wood as it changes with time.

Stay away from linseed, boiled or otherwise. It molds, adding drier doesn't work. The only use I have had for it has been as a temporary preservative on outdoor raw wood. On Tung oil, really nice on chairs and gunstocks, but the one Minwax used to put out turns waxy and polymerizes in the can. Their new stuff has something in it that prevents unwanted hardening. The poly-wipe on seems good for general sealing and I've rejuvenated the deck an topsides on my Emma C from the 70's. I've just used a mix of Golden Oak and Minwax satin wipe on varnish on a 1/4' scale Elsie deck, Basswood strips with graphite edges. Looks pretty nice. If these finishes are applied on properly cleaned and sound surfaces, they will last a very long time. I think the main concern is creating surfaces that can be cleaned easily without ruining the piece. Then you need only to worry about a loose parakeet or kids. More on Elsie later, the pic here shows the raw deck and bad paint being scraped off the water ways.

 

[Uwek]

Hello! I am a new modeller working my way through the Occre Santisima Trinidad. I have just finished planking the first of the 4 decks. Theres a couple problems I would love some advice for from some veterans:

1. There are some glue stains on the decks. I have been trying to sand them down, but that jsut leaves a ton of dust that clings to the deck that I have been having mixed success wiping off. How do you get all your decks to look clean and even? And if its sanding, how do you clean off all the dust after?

2. I intend to leave most of the model unpainted, especially not the decks. How do you guys protect the model? I hear polyurethane of some sort. If so--what kind of polyurethane? I want it to look realistic--like an actual ship deck, and not covered in some sort of glossy coating.

3. For the future--I intend to customize the stern to make it at least slightly more historically authentic than the awful stern plate that came with the kit and have been looking through all the build logs on here. I am sure at some point I will have so, so many more questions once I get to that stage!

Thank you!

Hallo @7ED
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY