Simulated wood grain effect/aging on ship decking/hulls

Tony,

You might want to check out my WIP threads of different versions of the Zvezda Kogge.  It might not be the way you want to go , but hopefully you can get some ideas from them.

Steve

cs.finescale.com/.../150254.aspx

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/7/t/155458.aspx

After I paint the deck surface, and let it dry thoroughly,  I often use a drop of India ink in a bit of rubbing alcohol.  I paint the mixture on the deck surface and let dry. The alcohol evaporates leaving the ink in the inscribed gain in the plastic.  You will have to experiment to get just the right mix of ink to alcohol.  

thanks--sounds like the way to go

tony

I have a friend that finishes most of his older ships- pre 19th century- with wood stain.  This is on plastic models. It seems to be a combination of staining and painting, depending on exactly how he does it on any particular model.

In terms of weathering the deck, keep in mind that on many ships, especially naval ones, crew reworked wood deck surfaces frequently so that they did not look all that weathered.  They looked more like bare wood.  Naval ships had an abundance of people for normal ship operations, they needed so many hands to main guns when they were in battle.  Merchant ships were likely to be more weathered.

Sorry about the fuddle of words , can't seem to get it right in edit .

Hi ;

    If you are talking about making plastic look this way then you can do this . Sand your hull and deck pieces with 320 dry . Then brush it off .Go over it from bow to stern with a wire brush . Take a stiff natural fiber brush and clean off all the fuzz .Now coat it with a thin coat of dark brown and within minutes wipe the hull and decks off.

If you want the deck to reflect old aged teak then here's where it gets interesting: Take those pieces and do the same with a medium brown/dark grey mix. Wipe it off in a few minutes too. The dark colors will settle into the grooves your sanding and wire brushing created. Wait a day and then go over the whole thing except the decks with a medium brown wash. Then go over it with a dark brown final wash coat.

As to the decks, finish them with a medium grey wash OR if you want holystoned decks then use a mix of cream and light grey in a wash as well. Don't forget, all wipes go from stem to stern .

I hope this helps you .This is the formula I use on all wooden look vessels made of plastic.