Chapter 6

Decorating And Finishing A Model

In applying the decorations and finishing touches to a model, the craftsman should be guided by the type, nationality, and period of the ship. If your plans do not give the exact coloring, look up a historical description of the vessel.

Most ships built before the beginning of the sixteenth century were made largely of unpainted wood. Presumably they had unpainted upperworks and were tarred and oiled outside, with an occasional touch of color. In this particular period, oak was the favorite wood for ship building. Since soft woods are best for model making, however, the worker can obtain the same effect by using pine and staining it. If a tarred appearance is desired, it can be imitated with a mixture of mahogany and walnut stains.

The underwater portions of ships of this particular period usually were tallowed. To imitate this, the model maker can use white paint with some blue and green rubbed in with a thumb at the bends and along the keel.

model sail boat Many ship modelers antique their models of early ships. This does not mean that the model is covered with muddy paint and made old and ragged looking. A little unevenness in the staining, with some darker stain rubbed in at the corners will give just the desired effect. Raw sienna and Vandyke brown or burnt umber are the most useful antiquing colors.

To obtain a weathered effect on the sails (Fig. i), they can be dipped in coffee or tea or they can be painted or sprayed with a thin stain or lacquer. On models of very old ships, some model makers feel that it gives the rigging a touch of realism to slit the mainsail and neatly "repair” the damage with a needle and thread. Such forms of decoration must be subtle, however, or they will ruin the entire effect of the model.

The masts on ships of any period can be assumed to be pitch pine, which is much like Oregon pine. This is a burnt sienna color and can be simulated on a model by painting the spar with a thin coat of transparent color and then, if it is large enough, by combing it down with a ragged brush to give a long grain effect (Fig. 2).

Ships of the late sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries were much the same as those in the earlier periods except that they generally boasted more paintwork. The Elizabethan ships were especially gay, their fancy patterns giving way in time to red, black, yellow, and white stripes with a predominance of light blue on Catholic ships. In models of this type, several ground coats should be given the wood before the final finish is applied.

During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, ships were painted all over, except for hardwood and rails, carved work, and similar parts. Even the masts, with the exception of the span between the doublings, were painted white or black and sometimes both white and black. To be accurate, models of such ships should not be antiqued at all. The actual vessels were always kept smart and trim, and the same neatness should be reproduced in the model. A neat but not a slick paint job should be the modeler's aim.

model sail boat

The same suggestions hold true for the clipper ships and from that period on up to the present day. To look realistic, models should have a neat, sleek, graceful, but not yacht-like appearance.

Since the modern sailing ships differ only slightly from the clipper, the amateur model maker can use the process of decorating a clipper ship as a guide for other similar models.

As already suggested, the actual painting of the hull should be completed before any of the rigging is set up so that you can rest it keel up to dry. If the hull is to have a real sheathing of copper as described in Chapter II, this should be put on first. If not, then the hull should be carefully sandpapered and a thin coat of paste wood filler applied. This will dress the surface for the ground coat of white paint. If any dents, rises, or scratches show up in the hull when the ground coat dries, they should be removed immediately to avoid future trouble.

Two or three coats of flat white then should be applied. Allow each to dry thoroughly and rub it down with No. 00 sandpaper. Following the suggestion shown in Fig. 12 of Chapter II, draw in the water line to the proper height. Then, directly above the water line and following the curve, lay a strip of decorator's masking tape or ordinary gummed paper having a smooth edge (Fig. 3). Finally, paint up to this to imitate copper, using a mixture of burnt sienna and Indian red to give the proper color. Work in some emerald green in the bends to simulate verdigris. Artist's oil colors can be used for this blending work.

When this has dried, remove the tape and place another strip below the water line, covering the paint and exactly meeting its upper edge. Then apply the color to the upper portion of the hull. Coach paints ground in Japan will be satisfactory for this work. Thin the color with turpentine and brush one coat on top of another until a good body is built up. Then very carefully sandpaper the surface and rub it down with powdered pumice stone. Finally, give it a few more coats, using less turpentine but adding varnish in increasing proportions. The final coat should be almost an enamel. If you feel that the final gloss is too high, rub it down with pumice stone or sandpaper it lightly and apply a thin coat of dull-drying varnish. The lower part of the hull can be treated in the same way. To keep the decks clean, give them a coat of clear lacquer or varnish.

Flake white artist's paint can be used inside the bulwarks and for deck nouses and similar parts. This will have a tendency to turn slightly yellow with time, which will be sufficient antiquing. These parts and the masts should be finished as the work of assembling progresses, preferably before being fastened in place.

Although lacquer colors can be used in painting a model, most experts prefer ordinary oil paints. There are, however, some occasions when a lacquer will come in handy. Glue will not adhere to oil paint, but the cellulose type of household cements will stick to lacquer because they soften it and reach the wood below. It is therefore more convenient sometimes to lacquer any particular part that will have other parts cemented to it.

Boxwood fittings can be given a metal finish through the use of a black brushing lacquer (cellulose enamel) and colored bronzing powders. Paint the part with the lacquer, dust on the bronzing powders, and deaden the colors slightly by daubing them with a brush.

Places where rust would ordinarily appear in time on a ship can be imitated on a model by dusting a rust-colored pigment or bronzing powder onto the moist paint or lacquer. Such places as the sides of the hull under the anchor and below the scuppers can be treated in this manner.

The deck ironwork usually was black, but sometimes green. Aloft, the ironwork usually was the same color as the masts and spars, but sometimes was black on white wood. Mast bands frequently were painted in this way. The iron on natural colored spars might be either black or white.

model sail boat
Flags drawn on paper can be traced on silk blotter Silk.

Blocks on early ships appear to have been unpainted, but in later vessels they were painted to harmonize with the spars. Deadeyes should be painted black since they invariably were given a coat of tar along with the lanyards. Anchors and oldtime guns always were painted black.

Chain also should be black, never gold or silver. The best way to blacken brass or copper is to dip it in a solution of liver of sulphur (Fig. 4). If paint is preferred, there is a mat lacquer used for painting the metal work on cameras that is excellent for model work. This also can be used for touching up the rigging where necessary.

A beautiful green patina also can be applied to brass and copper work to give the appearance of age by using the following solution: oz. crystallized iron chloride, 2 oz. ammonium chloride, 1 oz. verdigris, 11/4 oz. sodium chloride, oz. potassium bitartrate, and 16 oz. of water. Apply the solution to the clean metal with a soft brush and allow it to dry, Several applications may be necessary. After the patina has been built up to the desired thickness, it may be stippled with a damp brush to get the variegated color that we find on old bronzes.

With regard to the gilded parts on a model, a book of gold leaf costs very little and lasts a model maker's lifetime. It can be applied easily and gives an appearance that is hard to obtain with ordinary gilt paint. Japan gold size generally is used to make it adhere, but the model maker can obtain satisfactory results by using thin shellac, varnish, or glue. Apply the adhesive and allow it to get tacky before applying the gold leaf. Cut the leaf to shape with a sharp razor blade and apply it with a dry camel's-hair brush which has been drawn over the coat sleeve or hair several times.

Many of the oldtime ships had a large amount of flat gold decoration. To bronze or gold leaf some of the tiny designs and emblems is a task that takes plenty of patience. A simpler method is to gold-bronze a half dozen sheets of high-grade bond paper and cut out the figures with small scissors and a penknife, gluing them where you wish (Fig. 5).

Almost every model will call for flags. There are various ways of making these. One way is to use a regular textile paint, painting all of the flags at one time on a large sheet of silk. Each piece then can be cut out roughly to shape, warped to the proper shape to give the effect of realism, and then sprayed with clear lacquer. As soon as they are stiff enough to handle, they can be trimmed with manicure scissors to the exact size and shape.

Another, and perhaps simpler way, is to draw the flag pattern on heavy paper, pinning the silk over this so that the lines show through (Fig. 6). Artist's water colors can be used by mixing gum or fish glue with the water to prevent them from running. Oil colors also can be used, if most of the oil is extracted from them by placing them on blotting paper and then mixing them with any of the liquids sold for painting fabrics. If such a liquid is not easily obtained, rub a "pounce,” such as is used to prepare tracing cloth for inking, into the silk to prevent the color from spreading. Another way is to place the silk over a blotter for the painting process (Fig. 7). The absorbent surface of the blotter will take up the excess color and prevent it from spreading.

Tinted shellac of the type used to finish lamp shades also can be used for striping and decorating flags and sails. First, however, it should be exposed to the air until it has thickened to the consistency of paint. It will not run on the cloth and it will not make the cloth thick or heavy as it penetrates well.

The important thing to remember about pennants and flags is to rig them properly. Flags on sailing ships will follow the direction of the wind and not the direction in which the boat is sailing. If you wish the flags to stand out, stiffen them along their upper edges with a short piece of piano wire.
A relatively new type of indelible pencil also comes in handy for applying delicate decorations on the model, for coloring flags and pennants, and for marking out small panels. The pencils, which are made in twelve colors including black, have thin leads so that they can be sharpened to fine points and used like an ordinary drawing pencil. They make possible the drawing of the finest lines and the most elaborate ornaments.

model sail boat When the decorations have been applied and shaded as desired, a fine camel's-hair brush can be dipped in water and used to blend the individual strokes together wherever necessary (Fig. 8). On woodwork and metal parts it will be necessary, of course, to apply a ground coat of flat white, light gray, or light brown paint to serve as a foundation. On cloth flags, the pencils can be used without any preparation and no further treatment with water will be necessary as the strokes will blend together very well. On paper flags and pennants, however, the brush and water treatment will give a better effect.

Any surfaces decorated in this way can be given a protective coating by spraying on a coat of thin shellac or artist's fixative. In fact, you will find it possible to brush on a coat of thin shellac without disturbing the colors if a very soft brush is used and the work is done quickly.

In the case of a model of a known ship, its name should appear on both sides of the bow. The stern also should bear the name as well as the port of registry. If you are a neat letterer with a brush, paint these on in white. If not, make outline drawings of the three names on a piece of paper. Then paint around the letters with the desired color, leaving the printing white. Finally cut as close as possible to the letters and glue the paper "nameplate”in position.

Still another way of overcoming the nameplate problem is to letter the name neatly with a fine pen on a piece of tracing cloth. By using tracing cloth, it is possible to trace the separate letters from some piece of printing having the size and style of letters desired. From this a regular blueprint can be made by placing the tracing over a sensitized piece of paper, exposing it to the sun for the required number of minutes, and fixing the print in a fixing bath. Finally, with a fine brush, fill in the background with the desired color.
When your model is completely painted and rigged, go over it carefully to make sure that everything is neat and shipshape. Touch up marred spots on the hull and clip off loose ends of rigging. Arrange the spars and lines to give a realistic but not too rigid appearance. The rigging should be taut but not strained, and the general effect of the model should be one of action and life.

View the model as a whole. You may find that one fitting in particular, or one line or stay in the rigging, is noticeably out of scale. Check its size carefully with the drawings and, if necessary, replace it with another of the right size. One place where the amateur model maker has a tendency to go astray is in making spars and rigging lines too large. This is one of the characteristic shortcomings of most store models and should be avoided at any cost on a handmade product.

If your model has sails, make sure that they are rigged properly. They can be set in either one of two ways trimmed across the ship as if the wind were aft, or braced a bit for a wind slightly on the quarter (Fig. 9).

The final pruning of a model takes both care and perseverance. You will have to be both a craftsman and an artist, but the final result will be worth it.