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Gene Larson's Shop Notes |
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Methods of Caulking Ship Model Decks
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This page contains 21 photos. It will download quite slowly with dial up service. Please be patient. There
are many methods use by ship modelers to represent the caulking line on ship
model decks. Below I describe a few that have been successful for me. Other
model builders probably have their favorites which include a variety
depending on the scale of the model. I
will describe the following: Drawing
Ink Plastic
Paper
Ink
and Paint Pencil
and Natural Fit Initial Thought In
fitting deck planks on a ship model, as with nearly all other items, it is
necessary to obtain a good, close and accurate installation. It may be
necessary to sand and fit many times, 10 or 20, before it is correct. It may
be necessary to throw the piece away and start again. A glitch will not be
seen by the casual friend or observer, but you will always know it is there,
and see it every time you look at the model. Make it right as you build. A
sign I saw once in the old Philadelphia Navy Yard said, "Perfection
is not Optional". Of course, this is not attainable in the world
we live, however the directive emphasizes need for initiative to do our best.
A Drawing Ink Method A Sailing Ship This
article in the 1977 issue of the Nautical Research Journal was requested by
Merritt Edson, Editor, following a "show and
tell" presentation I made at the Washington Ship Model Society. The
original photos no longer exist and the photos in the journal are not of
sufficient quality to copy. Therefore, new photos of the finished model have
been substituted. |
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MODEL DECK PLANKING Copyright © 1997, by Eugene L. Larson "I believe that on a scale model ship a planked deck looks great if it is to scale and very carefully fitted. The plank ends at the bow and stern must be properly nibbed, which is not an easy task. Great care must also be taken with the representation of caulking between planks. Properly installed the planked deck will pass any critical inspection, but it is a very time consuming and exacting task. "In experimenting with various techniques for applying a deck, I have settled on a method which yields a satisfactory substitute in a much shorter time. The technique is probably used by many modelers, but there may be some who are new to the ship modeling hobby and would like to know about an alternative. "On a 3/16" to l' model of a Baltimore Clipper type privateer which I am presently constructing I used a single sheet of 1/64" three ply plywood, ruled with india ink, laid over a solid under deck. This under deck could be either a solid hull or a second thicker plywood layer laid on beams. "The first step is to determine the outer edge of the deck piece. I do this by trial and error, fitting pieces of file folder cardboard together. Careful trimming of the cardboard with sharp scissors will result in a good fit. I do small sections of the deck at a time, and then fit the cardboard pieces together in place on the model with tape and glue. Be careful you do not glue the cardboard to the model. I like to apply the deck before installing the inner bulwarks. This avoids the need to obtain a perfect fit of the deck to the sides. "It is very critical to locate wood which has no or very little cross grain. I have seen the appearance of outstanding models spoiled by a "beautiful" swirl of grain from port to starboard. If you want to represent a planked deck, remember the planks have their individual grain and this grain does not cross the joint and into the next plank. I was able to locate some 1/64" x 12" x 24" three ply plywood with a grey hue which looks like partially aged teak. It has sections of close, straight grain, and I was able to cut out the deck from an area which had no cross grain. There is nothing magic about the 1/64" thickness. It happened to have the characteristics was looking for. You can use a thicker wood, but there is a limit due to fitting the compound curves created by the sheer and the deck curvature. Cut the deck out of the plywood sheet using the cardboard template. Be sure it fits the model properly. Several trims might be necessary. |
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"Next brush on a thin coat of flat varnish. I use Sherwin-Williams Marvethane polyurethane varnish, satin finish. The purpose of this varnish coat is to partially seal the wood to prevent the india ink from running when it is applied. A light sanding with 400 and 600 wet/dry sandpaper follows. This gives a good surface upon which to draw. You might like to experiment on scraps to be sure you have the technique, which is really quite simple. "Following the standard
practices of the period you are modeling, layout lightly in pencil the deck
lines including the nibbing strake, nibbed planks, hatch outlines if
appropriate, etc. Now, carefully draw the lines with india
ink in a drafting pen using the right thickness of line appropriate for your
scale. The caulking on most ships is quite thin, and when you scale down 1/2
inch or so it becomes "When the lines look good to you and are completely dry, several additional coats of the flat varnish should be applied with light sanding using extremely fine paper. The deck can now be glued to the sub deck and the inner bulwarks installed. In order to install housing, deck furnishings, and so forth, on the deck, scrape the varnish off the area where the glue will be. I also like to pin or dowel anything to the deck. "This will give you a decent
looking deck, in wood, which will rival the individually planked deck. The
most critical step in the whole procedure is to be sure the cross grain in
the wood is not noticeable." |
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A Motor Yacht The decking on a pleasure yacht designed for radio control use was giving me a problem. I wanted the deck to resemble teak wood, but I could not use teak because of its large grain structure and its high oil content. I decided on Swiss pear. The planking needed to be laid concentric with the outer edge of the deck, and it needed white caulking. I tried individual planks with white card between them. This worked quite well on test samples, in straight lines. However, the Swiss pear would not bend to the hull contour. The following excerpt form a 1993 article explains the solution I used. |
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PEGASUS III, AN R/C LUXURY MOTOR YACHT (Part 2) Copyright © 1993, by Eugene L. Larson "I decided to lay individual deck planks with heavy white bond paper as caulking. This worked well in the past, but this time I was using Swiss pear and it would not bend properly to the curve of the hull, which was the prototype design. Swiss pear has a beautiful teak appearance when finished on a model, but it has unusual physical characteristics which make flat bending and close fitting at the same time difficult. I tore out the planks I had laid over the plywood deck, and then I had the choice of laying the planks straight or drawing the caulking lines on a solid sheet. I chose the latter and cut and sanded long 1/16" thick sheets of the Swiss pear for the main deck, and 1/32" for the upper deck. The sheets were 6" wide so they had to be pieced only at the centerline. With care in fitting, the centerline joint can be made invisible. "An exact pattern of the outer edge of each main deck section was made from heavy construction paper/poster board. These patterns need to fit with no gaps. In order for the patterns to lie flat, holes were cut in them for the access areas into the hull since there is a water barrier lip around each area. These two patterns were used to cut the Swiss pear to shape. The Swiss pear was then sanded around the edges until a perfect fit was obtained. This required many trial and sand sequences. "The two main deck sections had camber, a crown in the deck from port to starboard. Also the aft deck was below the top of the hull, which made drawing in place difficult. Therefore, the drawing of the planking was done the easy way with the decking off the model and on a flat surface. "Indelible ink, black or white, is best for drawing the caulking on a deck. I used Pelikan #18 White ink, and a drafting pen with a .50 tip (that size may be in mm). To keep the ink from running into the wood grain, I first applied two coats of polyurethane varnish, flat or satin. I used Krylon #7002 Satin Finish Varnish in the spray can. I let each coat dry thoroughly, rubbing with 0000 steel wool after each coat. The second rubbing with steel wool had to be complete since this provided an "invisible" roughened base for the ink to adhere. I wiped the surface with a tack rag and drew the caulking lines with long ships curves. Two coats of varnish were then applied." The article continues with the rest of the construction. |
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Plastic Caulking For a When all the decking was finished the plastic caulking was scraped flush with the deck planks with a singled edged razor blade held nearly vertical. Slight variations in the planking were also adjusted by the razor blade scraping. |
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Paper Caulking Black (or white) craft paper provides a good source for caulking material. When placed between the planks as they are laid on the deck a realistic appearance is achieved. Be sure to place caulking at the butt ends where the planks join and at the nibs, if any. Carefully choose the thickness of the black or white paper to be sure it is in scale with your model. This paper technique is for larger scales. In the past I have found this black paper used as separators in packages of photo paper (the real photo paper, not the inkjet stuff). Black craft paper provides a source for thicker caulking. On small scale models use the paint, ink, pencil or no technique. There are a couple of satisfactory ways to get the paper into position. The paper can be cut into strips slightly wider than the plank thickness. When in place between the planks it will stand a little above the deck. This will be flattened later as the deck is smoothed. Another method is to glue a sheet of paper to the wood stock for the deck and then cut the planks to the proper thickness. One long edge of each plank will have the caulking applied, and the planks can be glued in place. I generally use Titebond II or III glue because of its strength, but if you are concerned about the glue color messing the deck, then use a clear glue such as Elmers. However, any glue or epoxy that gets on the surface will inhibit the penetration of varnish or stain, so great care must be taken to avoid smudges. The first photo below shows black paper glued to a piece of wood (holly in this case). The wood thickness is accurately dimensioned to the "width" of the deck planks. The starting piece of wood as shown is "flat sawn", i.e., the annular rings run the width of the board. When the actual deck planks are cut they will be "quarter sawn". For cutting the wood refer to the shop notes on "logging" and "your lumber mill" on this site. The second photo shows some of the planks "mocked" together as if on a deck. The caulking can be seen between each plank. These deck planks are for a Chesapeake Bay Oyster Schooner at 3/8" = 1'. The dimensions are 2" x 4", or at scale: 1/16" x 1/8" |
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When all the deck planks are in place the entire area should be sealed so when it is sanded the flecks from the caulking do not embed themselves into the wood grain. A good clear flat or semi-gloss varnish thinned to 50 percent works well. Sanding sealer is not recommended since the additives to this finish usually are not desirable on a natural finished surface. Sanding sealer is usually a varnish with a powder additive to fill wood pores, and it builds up the surface unnaturally. All that is needed here is to seal the wood, not build up the finish. In general, there are much better ways to smooth a wood surface than to use sanding sealer. (See the shopnote on filling dents and gaps in wood). In fact, flat and semi-gloss finishes also have some additives to cut inherent the gloss, but this amount is tolerable. Allow one or two coats of the diluted varnish to fully dry, and then smooth the deck. I like to first use a single edge razor blade and scrape the surface. This removes the extra paper from the first method, and it levels all the planks. Next, if necessary, sand the surface with a very fine paper. Remove all dust and recoat the surface with another diluted application of varnish. You can make the decision on when to apply the final finish. Always test the method you choose before doing it on the model. This includes the choice of paper for the caulking and wood for the deck. Completely finish a sample to be sure the final effect is what you want. Be especially careful of the varnish. Some "clear" finishes actually have a yellow tinge to them and may give an unnatural color to the deck. |
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As a matter of interest, every fitting on this English Harbor Tug kit of Imara, by Calder Craft was replaced with scratch fittings of Corian, brass, plastic, wood, and resin. There were over 800 "white metal" fittings which contained nearly 50% lead, and all were so poorly cast they were unusable. Only the hull, basic lower cabins and funnel which were fiberglass were used, and the modern blocks and turnbuckles were purchased (blocks soon to be replaced with better scratch blocks). (See shop note on Corian fittings on this web site.) |
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Ink and Paint Caulking For smaller scale models a thinner caulking is required.
This effect can be achieved by coating the edges of the deck planks with
India Ink or Black paint, using the same method as above for paper. However,
the surface to be blackened should first be sealed with thin clear varnish to
prevent the ink or paint from seeping into the wood grain. This coating is
wanted only on the surface. Trying to apply the coating to individual planks
is tedious and messy. I find the best method is coating the entire surface of
a piece of wood and then cutting the planks to thickness as above for paper
caulking. As the planks are laid, first apply a coat of varnish to the ends,
and when dry apply the ink or paint. This is a longer process due to the
drying time, but worth it.
Pencil and Natural Fit Caulking For very small scale just a hint of caulking is desirable.
The caulking should never be overdone. Too small is much better than too big.
A soft up to a number 2 pencil rubbed along the edge of the planks provides a
nice fine line. Since this will still create a fine black dust the above
procedures on varnish sealing should be done. Sometimes, depending on the
wood being used for the planks, no special steps for caulking need to be
done. With the deck planks fitted tightly together just the application of a
varnish will make the seam stand out
Combination Individual Planks and Ink Drawing On a model almost totally revised (nearing "scratch") from the Harvey kit I laid the deck with individual planks with edges rubbed with a dark pencil. This seemed satisfactory in the "test sample", but when the decking was finished the caulking was not dark enough. I coated the deck with thinned varnish, then steel wooled it. The caulking lines were then drawn on over the top of the plank seams. With this method, there is the advantage of individual planks, avoiding grain running from one plank to the other. However, the varnish applied to the deck must provide a totally smooth surface. Several application might be necessary to insure the varnish fills any small cracks between the planks. |
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The representation of deck fastenings (trunnels)
was overdone in this case. I used a dot of brown India ink which gives an excellent
effect. But since the model was built I realized that the fastenings on
almost every deck I have been on, old, new, museum ship, etc, cannot be seen
unless you are only a few feet away. There are exceptions, but in most cases
the fastenings are recessed into the deck and then covered with a plug of the
same material as the deck. Thus they "disappear". |
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"Modern" Warship Decks There are many questions
concerning the decking size, caulk and color of "Steel Navy" ships.
I have not attempted the task of representing this decking on a model, but
based on my experiences, I have suggested to others that due to the scale
limitations (overall size of the model) it is not possible to
"draw" the caulking lines in ink or pencil. I believe the best
solution is individual planks with pencil rubbed on the edges to represent
the caulking. This will be a major task due to the thin strips. At 1/96 scale
a 9" plank will be 3/32' on the model. |
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