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 Rank: Beginner Level 3  Groups: Registered
Joined: 23/02/2012 Posts: 29 Points: 87 Location: Boston, lincolnshire
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Hi all, I have a number of questions relating to my surprise build, namely concerning the deck at this point. Hopefully posting here will attract a wider audience than if I were to post within my build thread. It was my intention to replace the kits basswood supplied strips with Tanganyika strip, which I have received a rather large stock of recently. I have made numerous attempts at staining with a medium oak wood stain, Colron readily available from DIY shops. I have tried to follow Magpies method, by staining the edges first with kitchen tissue, then allowing the tissue to dry for a few minutes before lightly rubbing the strip to get a desired colour. I am, however struggling to get any consistency with the results. I understand that I am effectively dry brushing the stain on with the tissue, but I am wondering how I can achieve a better finish, namely getting the stain into the grain a little more. I have tried to prepare the Tanganyika strip by sanding it as smooth as I can, however many of the strips have some deep pits which are missed. Am I missing something when it comes to preparing the strips to take the stain??? My ultimate goal is to try and recreate what the deck would have looked like from a ship in service, so I am avoiding using photographs of preserved ships, which presents the decks in a much darker finish. As I understand it the decks were fairly well maintained in service, with regular sanding. I want a more 'oaky' finish as I think leaving the Tanganyika/Basswood strips bare would be too bright. But I also don't want a finish more suitable to a pirate ship. I have attached a photo of my latest attempts on both Tanganyika and Basswood. These strips are stained only with no additional finish like Antique Oil etc. I have also included a respective sample of the untreated strips. The treated strips in the photo appear slightly lighter than real life. I am very open to constructive comments as I really want to get the best possible finish I can. I am also in no rush and any better ideas will be explored. Regards Jim
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 Rank: Super-Elite        Groups: Registered
Joined: 04/04/2010 Posts: 3,955 Points: 11,809 Location: uk
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hi jim,as you've said, the decks are holy stoned daily, the real decks were usually teak,and that is very hard to get hold of.so you are looking at a water stained deck on basswood,a light grey is the real colour with some shading off the working areas of a slightly darker shade.and then sprayed with a matt varnish.good luck,btw have aword with jase,he has a comprehensive photo library of the victory,he could possibly send some of the decks.  Current builds: SotS, USS Consitution, San Felipe, D51 loco, HMS Surprise, RB7, Arab Dhow, Jotika HMS Victory Completed builds: HMS Pickel, Thermopylae, Mississipi river boat, Mary Rose, Cutty Sark, San Francisco II, HMS Victory x5, Titanic Lifeboat, Panart HMS Victory Launch, Hachette Titanic, Virginia Schooner, Endeavour Longboat. http://www.model-space.com/gb/
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Hi Jim
As you say preserved ships are not a good reference generally. certainly in the case of HMS Victory her top decks are mahogany from a Royal yacht and as such are not correct in timber type or dimension. The remaing areas of original gun deck are not preserved as there would have been
General rule is that gun decks would be darker than the top deck as a combination of daily scrubbing and UV light bleached the top deck much more.
My personal view - is that there is no need to use Tanganyika for deck planking Box or maple are the most suitable. i am not a fan of staining and prefer the look of the natural wood (its a personal thing).
If you do want to age the wood try this and see what it looks like.
Dampen the wood first. Then use a highly diluted dark brown stain and apply with a stiff brush like an old tooth brush. let it dry then use a a glass fibre brush to clean up the surface and lighten the stain. You can do this after the deck is laid and the result should be darker areas around fittings and lighter on the even expanses. this will give you a nice aged working look and can be used on all unpainted timber areas. Oh and the transition from light to dark should be gradual.
DO experiment and practice this first before doing it on your model.
If you are serous about getting a world class finish then have a look at this link, this DVD is worth its weight in gold
http://www.modelshipbuil...model-ship-building-dvd
Hope this helps
Jase“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Beginner Level 3 Groups: Registered
Joined: 23/02/2012 Posts: 29 Points: 87 Location: Boston, lincolnshire
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Guys, Many thanks for the replies, it has given me some very good ideas on how to proceed. I wasn't happy with the Tanganyika, by the time I'd managed to sand it down, there was next to nothing left!! So I have ordered 30 strips of Maple. This does mean I have a surplus stock of the Tanganyika to practise some different effects with, like the diluted stain and airbrushing shades of grey. I'm very interested to try and explore the effects of UV fading for the upper deck, looking at my garden fence has given me some ideas!!! Regards Jim
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Rank: Super-Elite   Groups: Registered
Joined: 30/01/2013 Posts: 4,604 Points: 13,607 Location: Monmouthshire UK
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Hi Jim Not exactly sure what the deck on my Victory would have looked like but I wanted a slightly weathered effect so I used a combination of "weather-it" solution and Danish Oil. You can take a look at my deck finish and a bit more detail on how i did it here - http://forum.model-space...aspx?g=posts&t=6074
just scroll down a bit until you see the deck photos (post #9). The wood on the Vic deck was the kit supplied lime strip. On my next build I have bought some Tangy and will be using it with just Danish oil as it is a shade darker than the lime in it's normal state. I have used Tangy for deck planks before and found it fine, in fact it is supplied in many kits for this purpose. I have not had trouble sanding it smooth, are you using 1mm thick strips? Steve
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Rank: Beginner Level 3 Groups: Registered
Joined: 23/02/2012 Posts: 29 Points: 87 Location: Boston, lincolnshire
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Stevie_o, That's exactly the effect I'm looking for. Very nice build by the way, I love your weathered copper finish for the hull. I'll have to get some of that weather it solution and try it out, where can I get some from?? The Tanganyika strips are 1mm thick, I think its down to the way they have been cut. Many have a very wavy finish or some very deep pitting. I'll use them for practise and await some new stock. Regards Jim
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Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 30/01/2013 Posts: 4,604 Points: 13,607 Location: Monmouthshire UK
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Hi Jim Glad you like it, got mine here - http://www.ebay.co.uk/it...amp;hash=item5d4b78ccfe
not cheap but will last for many models Steve
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