Thanks for the info folks. I just have the rangefinders laying on top of the turrets now, so i can make the changes, whichever route I decide to take. Mikey
All I am wondering how you all seal your decks. I have used fiberglass resin, and also epoxy in the past, but have never been really happy with the texture when it was all said and done. I know some folks use varnish, but will that protect the wood over time? I also think I have heard that some use deck-sealer (for outside wooden decks). Mikey
I am using polyeurthane. After 3 or 4 coats, if lightly sanded in between, the texture is great. Mine didnt come out too well, but ive used it before for a smooth, water proof project. Cheap too.
I have been thinking about what material to use for the water-channeling. I have used balsa strips, and the closed-cell foam, in the past. One of the ships that I got from another builder had the self-leveling concrete patch material. To be honest. I think they all work rather well. Some are easier to work with. Some are more expensive. They all seem to add something to the build. The balsa strips probably add some strength to the hull that the others don't. The concrete patch stuff is fairly light-weight. Probably doesn't add strength, but levels itself. The closed-cell foam is easy to work with. I think the trick to the water-channeling is not what you use, but that each boat's water-channeling needs are a little different, and so one needs to keep that in mind when installing it. It might be fair to say that it would also depend on which format one is running in with the model. I think that I will try to utilize all three materials in Hood. The plan is to build up the inner walls of the channel with wood strips. Probably balsa, but maybe spruce. I will then surround the channel barrier with the closed-cell foam, but make it perhaps 1/16" lower than the barrier walls, and terminate the foam along the outer edges of the turn of the bulge ( but not try to contour it up the sides). I can then pour a thin coating of the self-leveling concrete patch material over the foam. It will be able to fill in the voids at the outer edges of the foam, while being kept out of the channel itself by the ledge of the walls. Mikey
The Hood I built has 1/4" thick balsa channelling amidships with a 1" wide trough in the middle leading to the pump. The two Panasonic 6V12Ah batteries sit on the balsa between 1/4' x 1/4" strips of balsa. The balsa was given several coats of thinned modelling dope and the new owner should continue to give it a couple of additional coats per year. Fore and aft of amidships I used 1/2" thick pieces of closed cell foam for water channelling. Bob
Well, I was able to upload my photos myself. Which is really great. Admittedly, they are rather huge. I will probably change the settings on the camera next time. Thanks again to all for the help with the photos stuff. Mikey
Lookin good. For the photos, Justin set up a script on the server that will downsize the image for you automatically around midnight or so (no way to avoid this yet) , - once it does so your pictures will look fairly grainy. To avoid this, edit your post, select 'Source' for the view (upper left corner of the editor?) and find the sections height="YYY" and width="XXX". Removing those parts will allow the image to be displayed without unnatural stretching after it gets resized. For instance, < img height="2000" alt="" width="3008" src="http://rcnavalcombat.com/Portals/0/Users/Froggy/Hood 001.jpg" /> would become < img alt="" src="http://rcnavalcombat.com/Portals/0/Users/Froggy/Hood 001.jpg" />
Yes--auto resizing please! Threads with photos in them are a bear to read for those of us with small laptop screens!
Hood and Prince of Wales. These two brand new ships will be taking part in our Denmark Straits event over the Memorial Day weekend in Xenia Ohio. We look forward to re-writing history, and the outcome of that historic battle. Mikey
Well. I went with the polyvar, and am happy with the texture. I put three coats on. I have to admit that I experienced a little discoloration in the wood though. Probably oil from my hands or something. Note to self.. Don't eat potato chips when working on scribed decking. Haha. I have about half of the water-channeling finished (the middle of the ship). I laid in some of the closed-cell foam (1/4" thick), and surrouded it with a 3/8" spruce walls. Then poured the self-leveling stuff over the foam, so it was only about 1/8" thick. It worked out well. The drying time was fairly short. That is the one thing most of the folks that I have talked to that used the concrete patch material said they didn't like about it. The thicker it is, the longer it takes to dry. The one thing that I forgot to do was to run some of my wiring under the patch material (in order to clean up the inside stuff. Oh well. More later. Mikey
I am wondering if the shafts struts on Hood had two arms or just one. I have lots of photos of the shafts and struts, but can never get the angle so that I can see the inside of the struts. Also. I am wondering if the extreme bow was still wood, or was it covered with steel in May 1941. It seems that some folks model her with the wood, and some have the area around the anchors painted grey. Mikey
