Lightship lettering

Light Ship Chesapeake:

Bawmer is a nice town. Baseball not so good although they have a nice park.

A second option is make your own white decals with an inkjet printer.  White decals are a bit harder to make than dark-colors-only ones.  You have to cut out the white letters do separate them from the background.  To make white decals you need to use the white decal paper, which is white all over.  Then you have to cut out each letter.  But in 3/4 inch size that is not impossible.

The procedure is to select a red background color as close to the paint you are using as possible.  Sometimes I actually paint a piece of styrene the color of the background, then scan it into my computer to use in my graphics program.  Then, create a background rectangle just larger than the word you want for the decal.  Set the font color to white (both outline and fill), select the appropriate (or closest) font, then type in the word.  By using the color background you do not have to cut out the letters perfectly.  If by any chance you get the background color perfect, you do not need to cut out each letter at all, merely the word.  However, that degree of color match is unusual.  But with a background that is close, at least you do not need to cut perfectly.  A thin line of background color will not be too noticable if the color is close.

http://www.themaritimeguardians.com/coldfusion/lightships.cfm

Also Google the web site  "Lightship Sailors" , there are a number of links from that web site, including USCG Headquarters that has photos under the CG history office.

 Woodland Scenics is a company that produces "block" white lettering in dry transfers, they are easy to apply and if you mis align them just remove them with Scotch Tape. Also a good hobby shop has water slide lettering decals for both military and model rail road projects. 

Don S. is spot on, you can always print your own on a home printer just follow his good advice.

Having served on a lightship here's a little tip:  most folk are not aware that when commissioned, a lightship has weld beads applied to the hull sides that outline the letters to its first station (NANTUCKET for example). This aids in painting the white letters but as the lightship moves around in its career another station name is painted on its sides but the original weld beads are still visible close up with the new station name painted over it...... 

 

 

Thanks to all for your suggestions...much appreciated. I happened to remember that I also have the old Pyro Nantucket lightship kit that was released back in 1967 without decals; the builder is supposed to cut out the lettering for the lightship's name from the letters supplied on the instruction sheet. I thought that was cheesy, so I acquired several sets of Superscale 48-1002 lettering for U.S. Navy aircraft. This lettering is a very close match for the letters shown in lightship photos & at 36" scale height they look good.

So, it dawned on me yesterday I had those decals & they will also work great for the South Goodwin kit. I plan to double up each letter for maximum opacity so the red hulls won't make the letters look pink.

If anyone else is in need of lightship name decals, the Superscale sheets are an ideal solution. You can make virtually any lightship station name want.

 

Thanks to all!

Pete

i have that kit too. i fear the decals will fall apart which means making my own. if so think i will put it in lake dillon in colorado. will have to rebuild the railings as the rubber ones don't work but that should be easy at this scale. planning on lighting it too. try BECC model accessories www.modelflags.com there is a trinity lightship museum http://www.g0mwt.org.uk/events/lightship-2008/index.htm