Boot top line

[Simpo Two]

Yesterday I successfully managed to spray the underside of my Billing Boats' 'Phantom' satin white without messing up any of the incredibly-hard-to-achieve gloss lacquer above. Phew. (It's a good job I did some tests with the masking tape first, in a place where it wouldn't show, because after 24 hours it made the lacquer go matt).



My next task is to add a boot top line between the white paint and the dark wood. This will be 2.5mm wide and black, and will need twice as much masking. I also have the risk of the tape pulling the white paint off the lacquer, which would wreck it. And so I wondered if there is some very thin strip - so thin that it wouldn't look stuck on - that exists. Almost like a rub-down 'Letraset' transfer, but not so fragile. Any ideas please?

[Simpo Two]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Thanks. I'm just concerned it would look 'stuck on' due to the thickness at that scale.

I suppose for £3.95 this is worth trying - can always leave it if it looks too thick: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232868497960

Ah rats make that nearly £8!

And while I was grubbing around on the net, who remembers this?! https://www.action-transfers.com/html/pbipb/pb_bat...

Edited by Simpo Two on Monday 21st November 14:41

[dr_gn]

You can get black water slide decals in strips of varying widths (or A4 decal paper you could cut into strips then spray gloss). Would need overcoating.

[Simpo Two]

dr_gn said:

You can get black water slide decals in strips of varying widths (or A4 decal paper you could cut into strips then spray gloss). Would need overcoating.

I found some old Letraline sheets on eBay, is that what you mean?

I can't overcoat it once in situ because the gloss lacquer is exactly right and I don't want to risk spoiling it, but the model will be in a case for protection.

[perdu]

What a gorgeous hull.

How long does the boot topping line have to be?

Back in the stone age when I was a modeller I used the Microscale system's decal sheets in several colours, I think Doc is thinking of this stuff.
https://i.postimg.cc/59gzs4g6/16692221382163114923...

I can't embed this but if you click the link it should show it, back then the sheets were slim narrow stripes about A4 length.

The same idea these days is sold by Hannants in A5 sized sheets of solid colour, I use a lot of it, its very useful.

[dr_gn]

If you look here, there are some Microscale silver decal lines of the type I meant (post Monday 8th February 2021):

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I think they were about A5 size.

They are waterslide deals - like you get in Airfix kits.

[anonymous-user]

Simpo Two said:

And while I was grubbing around on the net, who remembers this?! https://www.action-transfers.com/html/pbipb/pb_bat...

I can't help you with the boot line but thanks for posting that link, I got a proper Proustian rush when I found the 'destruction of Pompeii' set I had when I was about six:

[Simpo Two]

perdu said:

What a gorgeous hull.

How long does the boot topping line have to be?

Back in the stone age when I was a modeller I used the Microscale system's decal sheets in several colours, I think Doc is thinking of this stuff.

Thanks Perdu, it's quite an achievement. I've done a lot of wooden model-making but never tried to get a perfect gloss finish before. Normally I'd just fine sand then use a satin aerosol varnish, but in this case I had to learn new stuff.:

1) Grain-filling: Yep that went OK.
2) Staining: After some experimentation on spare scraps, that was OK too.
3) Sanding sealer: Here it went wrong; the sealer dissolved the stain and made it stripey. Arse.
3a) Rub it down to bare wood and re-stain.
3b) The water from the wet and dry paper got through the joins in the veneer and lifted the edges - at this point the model was falling apart faster than I was building it - slits had to be made and PVA forced in.
4) Now the good bit - Riolett 2K air-dry lacquer, as recommended by a friend who restores pianos.
4a) First coat not bad. One more should do it...
4b) Second coat dries textured and satin. WTF? Call Riolett. 'You have to apply it at over 20C'. 'It doesn't say that on the tin!' 'We use the same label on all our products'. 'So how was I supposed to know it had to be applied at 20+C?' 'It's in our safety data sheets; you can ask for them'. 'How was I supposed to know you have safety data sheets with crucial application information and I have to ask for them before using the product?'... etc...
4c) Rub it down again, being very careful not to go through the stain layer.
4d) Oh bks I've gone through the stain layer a bit.
4e) Mix up some dilute stain (good job I had some IPA left over from the Covid days) and paint it into the light patches.
5) Put the model, the lacquer and a thermometer in the airing cupboard overnight. 24C, great.
6) Set up a fan heater in the studio with a thermometer and leave it running for a couple of hours. 21C, that'll do.
7) Apply the lacquer again, with baited breath. Now it works!
8) Would really like to add another coat but don't want to cock it up; decide discretion is the better part of valour. The grain isn't quite filled but it's the best I can do.

As for the boot top line, I'm going with the coachline set I found on eBay. I really can't risk masking tape pulling the white paint off the lacquer.

Which reminds me, in case it's any use to others here, someone mentioned this site to me: https://www.handover.co.uk/ and specifically https://www.handover.co.uk/tools-and-sundries/mask... - pre-spaced masking tape strips on a backing tape so you get the line width automatically.

[Yertis]

doesthiswork said:

Simpo Two said:

And while I was grubbing around on the net, who remembers this?! https://www.action-transfers.com/html/pbipb/pb_bat...

I can't help you with the boot line but thanks for posting that link, I got a proper Proustian rush when I found the 'destruction of Pompeii' set I had when I was about six:

My first thought (before I clicked the link) was "I wonder if it'll show the Battle of Britain?"

I also remember "The Dambusters" and my first one which was "Construction sites"

[generationx]

Yertis said:

doesthiswork said:

Simpo Two said:

And while I was grubbing around on the net, who remembers this?! https://www.action-transfers.com/html/pbipb/pb_bat...

I can't help you with the boot line but thanks for posting that link, I got a proper Proustian rush when I found the 'destruction of Pompeii' set I had when I was about six:

My first thought (before I clicked the link) was "I wonder if it'll show the Battle of Britain?"

I also remember "The Dambusters" and my first one which was "Construction sites"

I remember getting similar Star Wars themed sets on the back of Weetabix in the 70s!

The boat is beautiful…