Moonbeam

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Having slept on the matter, I went down today for a renewed look at the state of the paint line, and found it nearly good enough.

An hour spent with a 1 mm chisel, used backwards as a scraper, allowed me to remove any paint that had strayed above the desired line, after which it was easy enough to mask off for a second time …

… and then fill in with blue paint those parts of the line that still needed improving.

The end result is still and most emphatically not perfect …

… but it is now good enough to do me, and so will do

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 02/11/2016 15:37:54

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

With the paint job finally having passed inspection, it was time to get to grips with the name.

The kit comes with ready-made lettering, with which I am – alas! – less than completely taken. For one thing, I find it over-large with its 10+ mm high letters, but also I don't really like the kerning very much.

I therefore decided to use BECC vinyl lettering instead, and after some consideration opted for their new line of Copperplate Gothic Bold in the 6 mm size.

However, before any letters even approached the hull, I got out some greaseproof paper, onto which I traced the shape of the stern counter.

I also marked out the sheer line at the bows with some masking tape applied to the same piece of greaseproof paper …

… whcih was then scanned …

… and mounted in an InDesign document.

After turning the image until the counter was level, I created curved lines to follow the camber and the sheer, and then typed in the name along these curves.

I also decided to give her a port of registry, and for this purpose selected Fairlie on the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. This is of course a complete fantasy in that, as far as I've been able to ascertain, Fairlie never had a ship's registry like e.g. Greenock or Glasgow did. However, Fairlie is were William Fife constructed and built the real-life Moonbeam yachts, I, II, III and IV, just over a hundred years ago, and while this Moonbeam is not a scale model of any of those (but in fact a replica of a circa 1913 pond yacht), she does actually to some extent ressemble them. So, in homage to the genius and skill of William Fife and his workmen, I decided to have my Moonbeam registered in Fairlie anyway.

Anyway, the document was printed out and brought down to the workshop, where I taped it upside down to the lightbox. A piece of masking tape with the sticky side up was then taped down onto the paper, and the letters applied – again with the sticky side up – to this tape with the print-out as a guide.

After marking out where the name should sit with some more masking tape …

… it was then easy enough to just apply the tape with the name on the backside to the hull …

… and, after pressing down lightly on the letters, to remove the tape backing, leaving the name applied to the desired spot in one single operation.

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 03/11/2016 21:35:05

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

With the name applied omn the port side, I added more masking tape all along the upper hull on that side; first some 6 mm Tamiya and then some 3 mm washi …

… after which I measured for and cut off suitable lengths of 2.1 mm wide gold trimline …

… that was put on to the hull just touching the lower edge of the masking tape …

… thus producing a gold line 9 mm below and parallell with the sheer of the deck.

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 04/11/2016 19:11:15

Edited By Banjoman on 04/11/2016 19:11:33

[Ian GardnerParticipant @iangardner62867]

That is looking very tasty, Mattias! It's a real pleasure to watch your progress with this boat- just gets better and better.

Ian

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Thank you ever so much, Ian! For my part, is a pleasure, too, to finally be at this stage of the build, when all the planning and work of the last few months are finally coming together.

Of course, there's still a fair amount of work to do, but now at least there is a hull that looks like it is supposed to

Mattias

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Well.

Today started very nicely, but ended rather differently.

First up, I replicated the name and trimline work on the starboard side …

… and then set about assembling the letters for the stern …

… again using some masking tape to create guidelines …

… with this fairly pleasing result.

It was then time to prepare for the final paint job on the hull, i.e. putting on some clear varnish.

I thus masked off just the hatch openings – the deck shall also be varnished, so any small overspray that would land there would not be a problem at all.

The hull was then turned upside down once more, hopefully for the last time.

At this point I noticed that the stand had made some small scuff marks in the paint on the keel, what with the weight of all that ballast, so I rubbed the spots in question down with kitchen roll paper …

… quickly wrapped the rest in clingfilm, and gave touch-up things up with some more red paint.

When the paint was dry enough, I started to apply the first coat of varnish, which is when everything went completely pear shaped!

I had quite forgotten that the varnish, although from the same brand and series of paints, is rather more liquid than the colour paints, and so (a) requires much less pressure from the compressor, and (b) will form runs much easier.

I used much too much pressure, and and had far too much varnish blown on, which subsequently began to run and otherwise deform.

In other words, I now have a number of areas around the hull with runs or just horribly unequal varnish …

… while in some places I even fear that the underlying paint may have risen.

In any case, the whole thing looks awful – and reality is rather worse than what I've managed to catch on photo – so it very much remains to be seen what can be done.

Tomortrow, I'll have a good look and, if it is dry enough, will first see how much can be remedied with simple but very, very careful sanding.

Another thing that can also be done is to, even more carefully, remove and/or smooth down as much as posible of the offending varnish with a cotton bud dipped in methylated spirits, which dissolves both varnish and paint.

Both methods will have to be used with extreme care, if the underlying paint is not to be too damaged, not to mention all the letterwork, but if neither works out well enough, I shall have to remove all the letters and trimline, sand down to and reapply the red and blue topcoats.

Oh, bother. Rats, even.

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 05/11/2016 21:47:24

Edited By Banjoman on 05/11/2016 21:49:53

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Well!

(he said again)

After writing my previous post, I went down for a last look before bedtime, if nowt else to make sure that I would have some proper nightmares about bad varnish tonight, and lo and behold! The self-levelling qualities of these paints and varnishes never ceases to amaze me, and while there are still a quantity of blemishes as a result of today's botched job, they look much less bad now than what they did even a couple of hours ago.

Yes, I have my work cut out ot get at least a decent surface finish out of this debacle, but in just a few hours it has gone from looking neigh on impossible to just a job of work to be tackled with patience and good humour.

I think I shall be able to forego some of those nightmares now

To be very much continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 05/11/2016 22:01:13

Edited By Banjoman on 05/11/2016 22:19:43

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

We hope you've had a goods night's sleep, Banjo?

Sounds like you've earned it?

I can understand your frustration, right enough, having seen your attention to detail with the deck planking

Despite all this aggro……Hope you are still enjoying the build?

Sharp intake of breath……When I saw the sticky tape on the top edge though!

All good fun….eh?

Nil Carborudum etc………..Btw……..I used to work for Carbo in the 60's

Bob

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Thank you, Bob!

Yes, I did indeed sleep like the proverbial baby log …

And yes, it is indeed rather frustrating to make such a stupid mistake at the very last lap of the paint-job race, but there you go. Entirely my own fault, so a deep breath and then once more unto the breach …

It is not that the offending varnish cannot be smoothed down, one way or another; that is perfectly feasible, albeit rather boring. The tricky part will be to limit the damage to the previous paint job in general and in particular to make sure that the lettering and trimline is not affected..

As for the recent sticly tape around the top edge, I was not all that nervous; the paint was quite dry and stable, and Tamiya tape is of course well known for being just the right amount of sticky. Still, as you say: removing masking tape from a painted surface is a job that usually comes with at least some trepidation …

And rather than nil carborundum, it seems that I shall need carborundum a-plenty if I'm to get that surface back to acceptable standards …

Mattias

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Well!

This morning I returned to the workshop, and started sanding – very carefully, of course – with some 600 grit paper …

… when all of a sudden a phenomenon, familiar from when I had my varnish incident on the Eilean Mòr-build (**LINK**), occurred: the paper began removing the varnish in strips!

I immediately knew that because I had put on the varnish much too fast and much too thick yesterday, it had not married with the underlying paint, but just formed a film.

This in turn of course meant that large swathes of the varnish could very easily be peeled off …

… leving the paint underneath perfectly intact …

… and completely removing all the unsightliness!

A fair amount thus came off just under the fingers …

… but where this was not enough, I had a further trick up my sleeve. By applying water to the edge of the remaining varnish, some will be pulled in under by capillary power, after which rubbing with ordinary kitchen roll paper will loosen yet another swathe.

I kept this process up for some four hours or so, going round the hull several times, until no more varnish would come loose. Some were thus left in situ, mainly along the bottom of the keel, where it had gone on much thinner, and thus attached properly to the paint. Here I just rubbed down the edges until they were completely invisible …

… and then proceeded to spray on the first coat of my second attempt at applying varnish! Needless to say, this time I had the compressor set to a much lower level of pressure, and put on only a very thin coat.

Once a certain number of such thin coats have gone on, I'll go over everything to check whether there are any spots where the red or blue paint needs touching up just a little, but at least I am back on track again after last nights scare and I count myself very lucky indeed to have gotten off the hook so easily …

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 06/11/2016 15:32:10

[Ian GardnerParticipant @iangardner62867]

Blimey, Mattias, you didn't need all that did you!? Well done for keeping your cool (if you did) and for patiently rectifying matters. It's better than a thriller all this- can't wait for the next instalment! What are you trying to do to us?!

All the best,

Ian

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

I can only agree, Ian – this was indeed something I had much rather done without. And yes, apart from a few words of a slightly more choice nature than "bother", and a somewhat trembly underlip, cool was on the whole maintained, to a great degree aided by sympathetic words and a big hug from my kind and understanding wife, and to a lesser degree by a stiff Ardbeg in front of Strictly …

I shall spare you all yet another picture of drying paint (well, varnish), but since Sunday, I have put on seven thin coats of same, and am planning at least as many again. I can now see that, alas!, the surface finish of the hull will no longer pass really close muster – there are a few too many small blemishes left in spite of the rescue job – but at any distance from a meter or so upwards, it'll do, and on the water it should be just fine.

Anyway, I sincerely hope that this will be the only thriller installment of this feuilleton, and that from now on the build will return to its regular schedule of dull …

Mattias

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

What a frightful sight!………..It`s enough to cause you to devour your young!

I can`t take much more of this, yet you seem to be taking it all in your stride?

Seriously, Banjo, you have our deepest sympathy

I suspect spraying the varnish is possibly the culprit, as it could be trying to dry as it flies through the air with the greatest of ease?……..( Old Music Hall song…..Before your time )

Coupled with the super smooth nasty fibre glass base?

All the best, matey

Bob

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Thank you very much Bob, for your kind words and sympathy, but no worries – it has now been sorted to sufficient satisfaction to suffice, if I may put it like that. Not as good as I had hoped for, but within an acceptably small number of gnats' whiskers.

However, I'm fairly confident that the problem was not due to the varnish drying in mid-air. This is indeed a well-known phenomenon, and a reason why I tend to dilute the final coats, sometimes even mixing in some retarder, for a smoother end result. Here, though, the issue was rather the opposite: too much varnish applied too fast and too wet which led to runs and crinkling.

Nor do I think that the GRP base played any role – it is long since well covered by a succession of spray filler, primer and top coat paints.

No, it really is very simple: I was a dolt not to remember that paint and varnish do not behave in the same way, and aggravated my crime by trying to squeeze in a first varnishing session inbetween making some Cornish pasties and them coming out of the oven, and this in spite of The First Rule of Model Building: thou shalt not attempt owt whatsoever when you have to watch the clock as it will make you hasty.

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 07/11/2016 20:08:51

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Don't beat yourself up Mattias. You have made a lovely job of the model which many of us would envy.

Colin

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Thank you very much, Colin! I am indeed still in the main best pleased with the results, and neither should nor shall spend more time moaning that "yes, but it ought to have been better". That way lays only discontent, and where's the point in that?!

Mattias

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

When applying a coat of varnish Monday evening, I had another instance of crinkly varnish; however, after it had been left to dry for 48 hours …

… it was easy enough to sand down …

… and re-varnish. Before applying any varnish, though, I also went over the whole surface with first some 000 steel wool and then a piece of kitchen roll, to flatten and prepare the surface.

Including the re-varnishing coat just mentioned, I had, as could be seen from my very advanced high-tec tally system, applied a total of eight coats of undiluted varnish.

I now applied a further three coats, thinned down with one part reducer to three parts varnish.

This makes the varnish slightly slower to dry, which improves even further its already excellent self-levelling properties and thus gives a smoother and glossier final surface.

And final surface it is! After the third coat, I looked and found it good enough. Huzzah! Possibly even jolly good

There are still a couple of spots along the topsides where there are some very discreet but nevertheless curtain runs of varnish. These, however, I will leave as-is for the time being, and look at again once the hull has been turned right side up. If I then think that they need dealing with, they can easily be sanded and re-varnished in conjunction with varnishing the deck.

That is some time in the future, though — the hull will need to be left up-side down for at least another two weeks, to make sure that all paint and varnish has gone off completely and formed a hard enough surface that the weight of the ballast pushing the keel against the stand won't produce any marks.

This is probably the main disadvantage with the paints I use — they have a number of excellent properties, but being water-based PU acrylics, their use involves a fair amount of time spent watching paint dry. Oh, the excitement!

No real worries, though: I shall spend some the intervening time by cleaning my workshop and then start preparing the white metal fittings.

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 10/11/2016 06:51:06

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Banjo

Well done for sticking with it ! I've had similar issues with 2 pack fuel proofer on Humbrol enamel on aeroplanes.

Do you use acrylic paints because your spraying in your work room ? I know some epoxy finishes have to be overcoated within a 12 hour period to bond with the base coat. Still your on the home straight now

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 10/11/2016 08:09:23

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Looking very nice, Banjo but………

All this attention to detail etc………What about the rubbing strips on the hull?

Or what about a few old tyres etc?……..Dunlop of course

Sorry to mention it, old chap

Bob

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Thank you very much, Ray!

Indeed, one important reason why I use acrylics is because I airbrush spray the paint indoors, and have insufficient ventilation available to feel comfortable about using solvent based paints. An airbrush very efficiently atomizes not only the paint but also any solvent, and even with a good half mask on (which I always use anyway to avaoi breathing in particles of paint) one would almost inevitably breathe in some of those atomized solvent particles, which by then are so small that they go straight into the finest alveoles where they do you absolutely no good at all.

Then it is also a question of considering the neighbours, as we live in an appartment building, where the pong would quickly get out of my workshop and permeate the whole staircase — I had that happen the first time I tried P38 filler, and now do any work with that on the balcony instead.

One day I hope to move to somewhere where there'll be room for a bigger workshop, so that I could install some proper ventilation. In he meanwhile, though, I'll stick with these paints, I think; as already mentioned, they are generally speaking of excellent quality, easy to work with and once they have gone off properly they are also very strong. The ones I use are the Vallejo RC Premium series (**LINK**) that has been formulated primarily for use on model racing car bodies.

Mattias

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Dunlop, Bob?!? No, no, no — I only ever use Continental!

More seriously, though, I do not plan to add any rubbing strip, for the simple reasons that (a) that ought to have been done at a much earlier stage (i.e. pre-painting) had I wated one, and (b) it is a kit I'm building that is not intended to have one, so I won't bother. Also, one of the aspects of this kit that attracted me to it in the first place was the smooth lines of the hull, unbroken except for the shroud plates.

No worries, though: mention away!

Mattias

[Ian GardnerParticipant @iangardner62867]

Well done Mattias, all looking very fabulous and, of course, your close up potos will be pretty unforgiving. I admire your courage in sharing your build with all its trials and tribulations- but very instructional and encouraging to others.

It occurs to me that I have also spent many hours rubbing down hulls, model and full size, that I then remind myself will be in the water fifty feet away, or underneath me! Mind you, you always get at least one club mate who insists on bending down to run his eye along the bottom of a new build- bless 'em!

I was a bit sniffy about acrylic finishes but have lately taken to using acrylic spray varnish and find it very good. easier to apply and quicker drying.

All the best,

Ian

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Thank you very much, Ian, for your kind words! Yes, close-up photos can be quite (and sometimes too) revealing but, on the other hand, that also makes them a rather useful tool for one's own inspections … That said I will admit to primarily selecting the not too un-flattering shots for upload to the forum; in other words, I do keep a few warts to myself …

Not much has happened over the last few days, except that I've set the hull to one side for drying, and in the emanwhile has begun tidying up and cleaning my workshop – the amount of purplish paint dust that has accumalated on just about every surface over the last weeks is quite impressive …

Hopefully I'll find some time over the weekend to get started on the white metal parts, although build time will be a bit thin on the ground the next ten days or so, what with gigs and rehearsals plus some family coming to stay. Probably for the best, though, as it'll keep me from giving to the temptation to turn the hull over too soon!

To be continued …

Mattias

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Over the last two and a half weeks I've had hardly any time for building at all — a family visit, band rehearsals and gigs plus life in general has occupied pretty much all of my spare time — but then on the other hand this has not been entirely a bad thing as it has helped me resist the temptation to turn the hull over too soon.

I did, however, find a few moments and used them to break out the mast and mast fittings. The white metal castings needed some fettling, and I also began preparations for some planned reinforcements of the mast step in the form of two brass tubes, one 17/32" and the other 1/2" o/d, with the smaller being a nice slide fit into the larger.

However, what with lack of time and also the need to have access to the mast step hole in the deck in order to progress, I did not get very far until yesterday afternoon, when I finally found some time again, and thus decided to turn the hull back the right way up — hopefully for the last time …

Anyway, instead of going with the kit instructions and just inserting the wooden mast end into the step drilled into the wood mast support block, I have decided to line the step with a piece of 15/32" brass tube. I had already during construction drilled a basic 12 mm diameter hole into the support block at more or less the correct angle, which now had to be enlarged by about 1.5 mm to take the 17/32" brass tube.

This enlargement of course had to be done in such a way that the mast, when stepped into the hole, will sit by itself at more or less the correct angle, so I temporarily added the extract from the plans that indicate the angle in question, and kept trying the brass tube up in the hole as I gradually removed the necessary amount of wood with a router bit in the rotary tool at fairly low revs.

When I was happy with the mast step hole, I dryfitted the white metal mast base ring to the lower end of the brass tube, and then drilled through both all the way with a 2.5 mm drill …

… to produce a hole for a mast pin (the overlarge one seen here is just temporary, and not the finished article).

I should add that the deck has not yet been varnished, just given two coats of sanding sealer. Before varnishing, I would like to prepare and drill for all deck fittings, as it'll be much easier to sort out any dings or scratches from that job if no varnish has been applied.

To be continued …

Mattias

Edited By Banjoman on 29/11/2016 08:44:11

Edited By Banjoman on 29/11/2016 08:47:10

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Nice to see you back on the job, Banjo

Is Santa calling at your house this year?

Bob

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