pr0g33k
Sep 17, 2007, 11:51 PM
I am new to this hobby and this forum so I hope you will forgive my ignorance of forum etiquette if I happen to be doing this wrong. I have just purchased the Dumas Osprey and the Dumas Little Shelley Foss for $60 each on Dumas’ discounted kits page of their website. Both models are wood kits. Both are electric powered. The Osprey is 1:12 scale and I will modify the Little Shelly Foss to resemble a tiny harbor tug of about the same size and scale of 1:12 by changing its cabin and pilothouse a bit. I have a few newbie questions regarding building and finishing these models that I hope some kind souls can help me with.
Firstly, Is it a good idea to seal or even paint and/or clearcoat the wood pieces before gluing them together or would doing that reduce the strength of the adhesive bonds (because the CA glue may not adhere to sealed or painted surfaces as well as bare wood or because the glue joint may be weaker because the bond is between two painted surfaces which may separate from the underlying wood) or reduce the flexibility of the wood pieces significantly, causing construction to be more difficult? I ask this because it seems to me that ensuring that all pieces are painted before assembly could only improve the watertightness of the completed boat due to the fact that some areas may not be accessible for painting once assembly is complete.
Secondly, while I see various sanding sealers, primers, gap fillers, paints and clearcoats indentified by brand name individually in posts, I see very few posts that describe what the modeler uses for his complete devised "system". It would be very helpful to learn from a few experienced modelers what brand of sanding sealer, primer, filler paste, paint and clearcoat products they have found work well together for completing the entire finishing process from sealing to clearcoat. This would save me a lot of time, money and trouble trying to sort out what is compatible with what. I understand that I will want to experiment a bit later on as I gain more experience but it would be great to have a point of departure from which to start.
My preference would be a finishing system that includes water-washup acrylic paints. Perhaps even those Ceramcoat or similar craft paints one finds at art and craft stores. It may not be a good option but if it is, then that would be ideal. Otherwise, something that brushes well or can be shot with a cheap Testors single-action, external mix airbrush would be great, too. I have no need for the models to be fuelproof as they are electric powered. Nor do I require the miniscule pigment particles of the tiny expensive bottles of Polly Scale, Model Master Acryls or the like as my models will be 1:12 scale and any details are going to be large and not likely to be obscured by the pigment particles.
My third question is simply this: is it a good idea to run a bead of CA or another type of glue on either side of a bulkhead in order to seal and strengthen the bond between the bulkhead and the inside face of the planking? If not CA, what brand of glue would one recommend?
I thank you all for you patience and indulgence in helping me get a good start in this hobby. I have been inspired and awed by the amazing detail and realism of many of the models I have seen in the forums. The added degree of realism imparted with the weathering effects some have used on their boats are just staggering! I look forward to a long career in this hobby and also being a part of this great community
Firstly, Is it a good idea to seal or even paint and/or clearcoat the wood pieces before gluing them together or would doing that reduce the strength of the adhesive bonds (because the CA glue may not adhere to sealed or painted surfaces as well as bare wood or because the glue joint may be weaker because the bond is between two painted surfaces which may separate from the underlying wood) or reduce the flexibility of the wood pieces significantly, causing construction to be more difficult? I ask this because it seems to me that ensuring that all pieces are painted before assembly could only improve the watertightness of the completed boat due to the fact that some areas may not be accessible for painting once assembly is complete.
Secondly, while I see various sanding sealers, primers, gap fillers, paints and clearcoats indentified by brand name individually in posts, I see very few posts that describe what the modeler uses for his complete devised "system". It would be very helpful to learn from a few experienced modelers what brand of sanding sealer, primer, filler paste, paint and clearcoat products they have found work well together for completing the entire finishing process from sealing to clearcoat. This would save me a lot of time, money and trouble trying to sort out what is compatible with what. I understand that I will want to experiment a bit later on as I gain more experience but it would be great to have a point of departure from which to start.
My preference would be a finishing system that includes water-washup acrylic paints. Perhaps even those Ceramcoat or similar craft paints one finds at art and craft stores. It may not be a good option but if it is, then that would be ideal. Otherwise, something that brushes well or can be shot with a cheap Testors single-action, external mix airbrush would be great, too. I have no need for the models to be fuelproof as they are electric powered. Nor do I require the miniscule pigment particles of the tiny expensive bottles of Polly Scale, Model Master Acryls or the like as my models will be 1:12 scale and any details are going to be large and not likely to be obscured by the pigment particles.
My third question is simply this: is it a good idea to run a bead of CA or another type of glue on either side of a bulkhead in order to seal and strengthen the bond between the bulkhead and the inside face of the planking? If not CA, what brand of glue would one recommend?
I thank you all for you patience and indulgence in helping me get a good start in this hobby. I have been inspired and awed by the amazing detail and realism of many of the models I have seen in the forums. The added degree of realism imparted with the weathering effects some have used on their boats are just staggering! I look forward to a long career in this hobby and also being a part of this great community